Florida’s Tyler McCumber and New York’s Dan McCarthy reached 10-under par through 36 holes at Point Grey Golf and Country Club on Friday to share the second round lead at the Freedom 55 Financial Open, the opening event of the 2016 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

McCumber, a two-time winner on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica in 2014, birdied the 18th hole for one of his six birdies in a round of 68 on Friday to match the lead set earlier by McCarthy, who was bogey-free with six birdies on the day.

“It was nice to get a shot back coming down the stretch. There were so many good shots today, but those are the ones to focus on for me,” said McCumber, a University of Florida graduate and the son of 10-time PGA TOUR winner Mark McCumber.

McCarthy, a veteran of 39 Mackenzie Tour starts, credited a more conservative approach to Point Grey’s tree-line layout than his last two starts in Vancouver, both of which resulted in missed cuts.

“I hit a ton of greens, so I wasn’t grinding out pars out there,” said McCarthy. “The pins are challenging, so you kind of have to make decisions to not go after them and play towards the fat part of the green, and that’s something I’ve learned over the years.”

One shot behind McCarthy and McCumber was Florida’s Taylor Hancock, a recent University of North Florida grad making his pro debut this week.

“Surprisingly, I was just really calm. I don’t know why. It was just fun to be able to say I’m a professional,” said Hancock. “A couple of holes down the stretch, I started to feel it a little bit, but you live for that and that’s what you enjoy.”

Devin Carrey of Burnaby, B.C., and Manitoba’s Aaron Cockerill lead the Canadian contingent at T10.

National Team member Eric Banks of Truro, N.S., is tied for 32nd at 2-under. Team Canada Development Squad members Tony Gil (Vaughan, Ont.) and A.J. Ewart (Coquitlam, B.C.), who finished 2-over and 8-over, respectively, will not head into weekend play.

MIDLAND, Ont. – The nation’s junior golfers were treated to a healthy dose of sun during the first round of the 2016 CN Future Links Ontario Championship at Midland Golf & Country Club. Team Canada Development Squad member Grace St-Germain took the lead in the Junior Girls division after shooting 2-under 68. Louis-Alexandre Colgan, Jake Bryson, and Thomas Giroux carded even-par rounds to share the Junior Boys lead.

St-Germain, a native of Orleans, Ont., shot four birdies on the day, including two back-to-back on holes 11 and 12 en route to the day’s only score below-par.

“It was a very good round, I was hitting the ball really well today,” said the 17-year-old. “The greens were really fast, so I’m just going to take it one shot at a time tomorrow.”

Isabella Portokalis of London, Ont., notched a birdie on No. 18 to move into second at 1-over-par, while fellow Ontarian Monet Chun of Richmond Hill and Mary Parsons of Delta B.C., are T3 after matching 72s. Parsons, the 2016 CN Future Links Pacific champion, collected three birdies across a bogey-free back nine.

St-Germain’s quartet of Women’s Development Squad teammates are all within the Top-15, led by Surrey, B.C., product Hannah Lee who sits fifth at 3-over-par. Vancouver’s Tiffany Kong and Chloe Currie of Mississauga, Ont., each tallied three birdies on the back nine to reach T6. Kathrine Chan, of Richmond, B.C., is T14 after opening with a 77.

In the Junior Boys division, three players hold a share of first at even-par. Québec City’s Louis-Alexandre Colgan and Jake Bryson of Dunrobin, Ont., each made five birdies on the day. Georgetown, Ont., native Thomas Giroux completes the trio of leaders, having tallied four birdies – including three across holes 6 through 9 – for a 1-under 33 on the front nine.

Three Ontarians are one shot behind the leaders. Johnny Travale (Stoney Creek), Sam Meek (Peterborough) and Eric (Joohyung) Byun (Richmond Hill) sit T4 on the crowded leaderboard. Aurora, Ont., product Thomas ‘Jack’ Simpson – the lone Men’s Development Squad member in the field – holed two birdies and is T14.

The top six finalists in the Junior Boys division will earn exemptions into the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship at Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s, N.L., from August 1-4. Exemptions will be decided via a hole-by-hole playoff in the case of ties. All competitors in the Top-6, including ties, in the Junior Girls division will gain exemptions into the Canadian Junior Girls Championship. The tournament will be held August 2-5 at The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, N.S.

The second day of competition will see the Junior Girls division tee-off at 7 a.m. before the Junior Boys take to the course at 8:50 a.m. Additional information, including pairings and up-to-date scoring is available here.

BEAUCEVILLE, Que. – Club de golf Beauceville, founded in 1990 in Beauceville, Que., will host a field of 121 junior athletes from June 3-5 for the 2016 CN Future Links Quebec Championship. A total of six CN Future Links Championships are presented by Golf Canada in partnership with CN. These championships provide opportunities for junior golfers across Canada to develop their games in a safe and encouraging environment.

“Golf Canada is thrilled to work with Club de golf Beauceville for our third CN Future Links Championship this season,” said Justine Decock, Tournament Director. “The course will be a great test for a strong field. We look forward to seeing these athletes learn and grow through this competition.”

Charles-Éric Bélanger will represent the National Team Men’s Development Squad at the competition. The native of Quebec City collected second- and third-place finishes at last year’s Quebec and Ontario editions of the CN Future Links Championships. The 2015 CN Future Links Junior Boys Order of Merit winner is coming off a season in which he claimed the Canadian Junior Boys title.

Club de golf Beauceville member Louis-Michel Guay will make his debut on the CN Future Links circuit. The 18-year old from St-Isidore, Que., who was fifth on the Quebec Garçons Juniors Order of Merit in 2015, will try to translate his familiarity with the course into championship success.

The Junior Girls field will see the return of four of the top five finishers from the 2015 championship held at Golf Château-Bromont in Bromont, Que. Reigning Quebec Junior Match-Play Champion Sarah-Ève Rhéaume looks to improve upon last year’s runner-up result. Notre-Dame-de-L’Île-Perrot, Que., native Céleste Dao – the 2015 Quebec Junior Girls Champion – and Noémie Paré of Victoriaville, Que., will attempt to best their T3 finishes, while Rosemère, Que., product Brigitte Thibault seeks to build upon a 5^th-place showing.

Three more CN Future Links Championships will be played this season:

• June 10-12 – CN Future Links Prairie – Neepawa, Man. – Neepawa Golf & Country Club
• July 4-6 – CN Future Links Western – Medicine Hat, Alta. – Medicine Hat Golf & Country Club
• July 12-14 – CN Future Links Atlantic – Fairview, P.E.I. – Countryview Golf Club

The top six in the Junior Boys division will gain exemptions into the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship, held August 1-4 at Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s, N.L. A hole-by-hole playoff will determine exemptions in the case of ties. Those who make up the top six in the Junior Girls division, including ties, will earn entry into this year’s Canadian Junior Girls Championship, hosted by The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, N.S., from August 2-5.

Additional information on the 2016 CN Future Links Quebec Championship, including a full list of competitors and tee-times, is available here.

VANCOUVER – California’s Ben Geyer opened with a 7-under 65 at Point Grey Golf and Country Club on Thursday to take the first round lead at the Freedom 55 Financial Open, the first event of the 2016 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

The 24-year old made seven birdies and was bogey-free on the day to lead by one over Florida’s Tyler McCumber and New Hamburg, Ont.’s Cam Burke.

“I drove it really well today and kept it in play. I didn’t have many stressful holes, and I was really happy with how I scored,” said Geyer, who earned exempt status on the Mackenzie Tour by the narrowest of margins last year.

After struggling on the Web.com Tour for the first half of 2015, the St. Mary’s College graduate earned the final spot in the field at last year’s season-ending Freedom 55 Financial Championship by placing 60th on the Order of Merit through the Cape Breton Open by a mere $373, thereby retaining status for this year.

“I struggled unfortunately on the Web.com Tour last year, and it was nice to be able to come up to Canada and get things figured out a bit. I have a good feel for this Tour now and I’m looking forward to competing up here this season,” said Geyer.

Burke, a two-time Canadian Amateur champion and former Team Canada member, was also bogey-free in his debut as a Mackenzie Tour member to share second place with McCumber after day one.

“I putted really well. I didn’t drive it that well, but I kept it in between the trees for the most part. I had an approach shot to all 18 holes, and I putted outstanding and my short game was really good today,” said Burke.

One shot further behind at 5-under were Mike Ballo, Jr., Vancouver-area native Devin Carrey and 19-year old Austin Connelly, also a first year Mackenzie Tour member.

FORT WORTH, Texas – Bryce Molder a réussi des oiselets sur six de ses neuf derniers trous pour une première ronde de 64 (moins-6), jeudi, et il détient un coup d’avance en tête de l’Invitation Dean & Deluca au Colonial.

Molder faisait partie du premier groupe à prendre le départ sur le 10e tertre et il était sur le 16e vert quand le jeu a été interrompu pendant 75 minutes en raison d’un orage. Il a réussi la septième de ses neuf normales consécutives quand le jeu a repris, puis il a accumulé les oiselets sur le premier neuf.

Patrick Reed, Anirban Lahiri et Webb Simpson suivent à 65.

Ryan Palmer, qui est membre au Colonial, faisait partie du groupe

à égalité au cinquième rang à 66. Jordan Spieth, classé deuxième au monde, a joué 67 après avoir raté les six premières allées.

David Hearn, de Brantford, en Ontario, a joué 67 pour faire partie du groupe à égalité en neuvième position. Adam Hadwin et Nick Taylor, tous deux d’Abbotsford, en Colombie-Britannique, ont remis des cartes respectives de 68 et 69.

FORT WORTH, Texas – Bryce Molder was joking around with playing partner Scott Langley as the sky darkened over Colonial.

“It was almost like they were about to blow the horn for darkness,” Molder said.

Except it was early in the morning after Molder – the leader after a 6-under 64- and Langley began play in the first group off the 10th tee Thursday in the Dean & Deluca Invitational at Colonial.

“It wasn’t dark to where you can’t see the ball flight, but you’re kind of reading putts looking a little funny at it,” Molder said. “It was dark. It was weird. It was almost like late, late, late in the day.”

They were on the 16th green next to the clubhouse when play was stopped because of rain and lightning in the area. After the 75-minute delay, when clouds thinned considerably, Molder had six birdies in his last nine holes and the 64 held up for a one-stroke lead over Patrick Reed, Anirban Lahiri and Webb Simpson.

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., shot 67 for a share of ninth place. Abbotsford, B.C., products Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor shot 68 and 69, respectively.

Ryan Palmer, the Colonial member whose caddie James Edmondson is the four-time club champion, joined Jason Dufner, Martin Piller and Kyle Reifers in a tie for fifth at 66.

“It’s a golf course I can step on to each tee and don’t even need my yardage book,” Palmer said. “To shoot 4-under out here on a Thursday, you’re not hurting.”

Jordan Spieth, the world’s No. 2-ranked player, was among nine players at 67 after his breezy afternoon round when he missed the first six fairways. But he hit eight of the first nine greens and 14 overall while carding only one bogey – at the 244-yard, par-3 fourth hole.

“It was so tough to gauge the wind correctly and get the ball close to the hole,” Spieth said. “On a day like this, you’re just really looking to hit greens in regulation, be as stress-free as possible, and it felt like we were out there.”

Seventh-ranked Adam Scott, who in 2014 won at Colonial to cap his first week at No. 1, had an opening 72 with four birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey.

Jason Kokrak was at 6 under and tied with Molder for the lead when he hit a drive in the centre of the 18th fairway. But his approach went into the water to the right of the green, as did the next shot after his drop. His quintuple bogey 9 ended a round of 69.

Kevin Chappell (68) had the shot of the day with an eagle on the 387-yard 10th hole when his 8-iron approach from 158 yards went into the hole on the fly.

Moulder, with one win in 251 career PGA Tour starts, had his first 18-hole lead since the 2002 Byron Nelson. He finished Thursday with four consecutive birdies – all from at more than 10 feet, including a 20-footer at No. 7 after his drive into a fairway bunker on the 438-yard hole.

His only non-birdies on the front nine were at Nos. 3-5, known as the Horrible Horseshoe because of the layout and difficulty of that trio. He had pars of each of those holes, the 452-yard dogleg left 3rd hole, the long par 3, and the 465-yard 5th hole parallel to the Trinity River.

“I hit a lot of greens early, 20, 30 feet, and just kind of rolled it up close,” Molder said. “And then all of a sudden hit a couple close when I made the turn, Nos. 1 and 2, got some close birdies. … Maybe (the delay) just kind of helped me wake up. Actually, I went back out on the range and just kind of one little tinker here or there and found a little groove for the rest of the 12 holes.”

Langley had a 70.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Christina Kim took advantage of favourable conditions Thursday morning, shooting an 8-under 64 to top the leaderboard in the inaugural Volvik Championship.

She didn’t expect to stay there.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if someone gets me by two,” Kim said.

No one did.

Ariya Jutanugarn, coming off consecutive wins on the LPGA Tour, was a shot back after her morning round at Travis Pointe Country Club.

The course conditions got tougher later in the day when the wind picked up and the pins got tougher to shoot for on drying greens.

Minjee Lee, So Yeon Ryu and Marina Alex shot 68, putting them four shots behind Kim.

Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C., shot 69, Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot 72 and Hamilton’s Alena Sharp shot 73.

Second-ranked Inbee Park’s lingering thumb injury led her to withdraw from the tournament. Haru Nomura and Perrine Delacour also were unable to complete their first rounds.

Kim ended a 24-round streak in which she didn’t break 70, but wasn’t surprised.

“I’ve been playing really well,” she insisted. “It’s just the scores haven’t reflected how I’ve been playing.”

The three-time LPGA Tour winner, though, was able to withstand her relative slump because of her perspective on the game and life.

“At the end of the day, you know, things will balance out,” Kim said. “We all end up six feet under.”

The 20-year-old Jutanugarn is coming off a victory at the Kingsmill Championship after becoming the first Thai winner in tour history in Alabama.

One of her friends saw this coming.

“She’s been playing like this since she was 17 years old,” Kim said. “I think that for her it was just a matter of breaking the shell and getting over that first hump and getting that first win. She is going to just be an absolute world-beater.”

Kim might be one of the people who paves the way after she was in a rough patch of her career.

“Last year, I played bad,” Jutanugarn recalled. “And, she the only person come and talk to me.”

Jutanugarn played through a stiffer wind on her back nine, competing well enough to give herself a chance to possibly win three straight tournaments.

Her ability to play without a driver in her bag or a 3-wood in her hand may help her make the most of opportunities on a layup set up to give players success.

“The course pretty firm so I not even need to hit 3-wood,” Jutanugarn said. “Two-iron fine because I can keep it low.”

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. – Rocco Mediate played the first 13 holes in 9 under and closed with five pars for a 62 to match the Senior PGA Championship and Harbor Shore records Thursday.

Taking advantage of greens softened by overnight rain, Mediate matched the marks set by Kenny Perry in the 2012 final round.

“It wasn’t wet, as far as soaking wet. A couple wet spots. But it was fine,” Mediate said. “Greens were good. Soft. They received pretty good. … I know it rained like heck last night. I heard it last night. But the golf course was fine. Greens were good. Everything was good. A little softer.”

The 53-year-old Mediate capped a front-nine 29 with an eagle on the par-5 ninth and added birdies on the par-3 11th and 13th holes at Jack Nicklaus-designed Harbor Shores.

“Solid stuff,” Mediate said. “A lot of fairways. A bunch of greens. When I missed it was in the right spot. … I hit it close, so I had a lot of short putts for birdie. I didn’t really make a long one. It was one of those days. I just drove it really well. I hit a lot of solid irons.”

Mediate has two victories on the 50-and-over tour after winning six times on the PGA Tour.

“Stuff I’m working on is coming around,” Mediate said. “I’m just trying to get back to what I used to do and that’s hit the ball in the middle of the face most of the time. It’s been a few years since that’s happened. So it was a lot of fun. A lot of fun.”

Gene Sauers had a bogey-free 63.

“I like being up are early in the morning. It was nice,” Sauers said. “You get fresh greens and I hit the ball really solid. Just tried to concentrate on just where I wanted to place the ball and just not have too many long putts, because you can get some really pressure putts out here.”

Mike Goodes shot 64, and Kenny Perry, Kirk Triplett and club pro John DalCorobbo were another stroke back. Perry played alongside Mediate and two-time defending champion Colin Montgomerie, who had two late bogeys in a 67.

“We were all feeding off each another,” Perry said. “Rocco shot 29 on the front nine and drug us all along in there. He hit it close and made a lot of putts. It kind of set the tone for the whole group.

“The whole group played nice until the last couple holes, I don’t know if we got tired or what, but they’re hard holes, 16, 17 and 18 are tough holes. I bogeyed 17 and I think Colin bogeyed 16 and 17. But Rocco parred them all. So he had an amazing round.”

Bernhard Langer, fresh off the 100th victory of his career – at a major, no less, at the Regions Tradition in Alabama, opened with a 69.

The 58-year-old German is going for an unprecedented sweep of all five PGA Tour Champions majors. In Alabama, he won his sixth major championship as a senior and joined Nicklaus as the only players to win four different senior majors. Nicklaus had largely retired when the Senior British Open was added to the major rotation. He only played that once in its first year as a major in 2003.

John Daly struggled to a 75 in his first senior major start. He had a 9 on the par-4 16th, a double bogey, three bogeys and six bogeys. Daly tied for 15th and 17th in his first two senior starts since turning 50.

Montgomerie played the first 10 holes in 6 under, with four straight birdies on Nos. 7-10. The Scot won in 2014 at Harbor Shores and last year at French Lick Resort in Indiana.

DalCorobbo holed out with a 9-iron from the fairway for an eagle on the par-5 18th. A PGA assistant professional at Brickyard Crossing in Indiana, he won the Senior PGA Professional Championship in October.

“For not playing in a competitive event for quite some time, I think that the focus, really, the plan was, to not so much to score, but can I handle my mental routine and stay within that. So for the most part I think I did a good job. I hit a tremendous shot on 18 and a lot of that is luck, but I hit some good shots during the day and really happy about that.”

St. Catharines, Ont., resident, Rod Spittle shot 2-under to sit T30, while Stephen Ames of Calgary is T68 after carding a 71.

It was a golf tournament much like any other.

At the same time, it was a golf tournament unlike just about any other.

There was the usual assortment of right-handed and left-handed golfers.

And there was a one-handed golfer.

Like most tournaments, there was applause from the other players, their caddies and the gallery when someone hit a good tee shot.

Not so typically, there was the same sincere, supportive applause when someone hit a not-so-good one.

Like I said, not your average golf tournament.

On Wednesday, I was privileged to act as the starter for two dozen Special Olympics athletes who competed at my home course, Midland Golf and Country Club in central Ontario.

No. “Competed” does neither the event nor the participants justice.

Watching them try their best, relishing the opportunity,  just immersing themselves in the experience, put a lot of things in perspective for those fortunate enough to interact with them that day.

“They experience the same frustrations as any golfer but it seems to me they recover from them more quickly and just enjoy the overall experience,” says Serge Boulianne, Sport Manager for Special Olympics Canada.

Lorinne Russell (2nd from the left) / (SpecialOCanada)

Boulianne, who organized Wednesday’s event, said the partnership between Special Olympics Canada and Golf Canada is “huge” from a number of perspectives. Half a dozen years ago, he says, there were between 300 and 400 Special Olympic athletes across Canada who golfed. Now there are almost 1,700. To support them, the PGA of Canada has developed a dedicated course for coaching Special Olympics athletes.

“Integration is a big part of Special Olympics and there is no better place than a golf course to accomplish that. Golf also has brought us many athletes who might not have been part of our movement before but have been golfing with their parents since they were young. “

Mike Trojan can relate to that. Along with his wife and another couple in St. Catharines, Ont., they conduct a Special Olympics golf program at Chippawa, the executive-length course at Legends on the Niagara. Thanks to their dedication and the support of the Niagara Parks Commission, 22 athletes get to enjoy this experience.

Trojan’s daughter, Tess, is a Special Olympics golf success story.  “We always golfed as a family and that’s how she got the bug.”

Strong play at the provincial and national levels earned Tess a spot on Team Canada which participated in the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Los Angeles.

“Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada really stepped up,” says Trojan. An instructor was assigned to each of the five Team Canada members for the six months leading up to the event in Los Angeles, with impressive results. Among other Canadian medallists, Tess came home with a gold.

“Golf is wonderful,” says Trojan, “because it not only gives them confidence to participate in a sport but confidence in other things—jobs, being productive members of their community, and so on.”

Ian Kirkpatrick, General Manager of Midland G&CC, was beaming Wednesday as he watched the athletes and their coaches participate in skills clinics conducted by two PGA of Canada professionals: Midland head pro Brian Urbach and Jason Bennett, head pro at nearby Oak Bay G&CC.

Kyle Koopman (SpecialOCanada)

“Golf has to change in its approach to many things in the future,” Kirkpatrick said. “We, as a sport, have to be more inclusive, more community-oriented. We have to provide opportunities for anyone who wants to participate.”

The partnership between Golf Canada and Special Olympics Canada is a giant step forward in accomplishing that challenging goal.

While Wednesday’s results show that Lorinne Russell of Milton, Ont., and Kyle Koopman of Hamilton had the lowest scores, it must be said that anyone who met these very special athletes also came out a winner.

“It just feels good to be around them,” says Bouilanne.

From my experience on Wednesday, I couldn’t agree more.