AVONDALE, La. – Brian Stuard completed his second straight bogey-free round to take a one-shot lead in the waterlogged Zurich Classic.

Stuard played just six holes Saturday, completing his second round with a 4-under 68 to reach 12 under at TPC Louisiana. Jamie Landmark and Jhonattan Vegas were tied for second. They finished the second round Friday.

The 33-year-old Stuard, winless on the PGA Tour, continued his steady play with two birdies Some players were able to begin the third round on Saturday before thunderstorms swept through the area, but the leaders haven’t teed off.

Top-ranked Day was five strokes behind Stuard after shooting a 68 in the second round.

Rain delays have interrupted two out of three days of the tournament. More rain is forecast for Sunday.

David Hearn, of Brantford, Ont., was the top Canadian at 5 under. Hearn was 1 under through four holes in his third round.

Fellow Canadian Adam Hadwin, of Abbotsford, B.C., made it through just two holes and is currently 4 under for the tournament. Nick Taylor, also from Abbotsford, had yet to tee off his third round.

IRVING, Texas – Gerina Piller took a two-stroke lead Saturday in the LPGA Tour’s Volunteers of America Texas Shootout, putting her in position for a breakthrough victory in her home event.

Winless in 123 career starts, the 31-year-old Piller shot a bogey-free 4-under 67 to reach 14-under 199 at Las Colinas Country Club.

The long-hitting U.S. Solheim Cup hero lives in Plano, about 20 miles from Las Colinas. She grew up in Roswell, New Mexico, and played at the University Texas-El Paso.

Piller is married to PGA Tour player Martin Piller. He watched her play Saturday after missing the cut in the Zurich Classic in Louisiana.

Piller hit to 4 feet to set up a birdie on the par-4 second, then birdied three straight par 5s _ two-putting No. 3 and making a 5-footer on No. 7 and a 10-footer on No. 10. She parred the final eight holes.

Piller has hit 52 of 54 greens in regulation, with the two misses coming in the first round Thursday.

South Korean players held the next four spots on the leaderboard. Amy Yang (65) and Mi Jung Hur (66) were tied for second at 12 under, and Jenny Shin (65) and Sei Young Kim (68) were 10 under. Hur lives in the area in McKinney.

Fifth-ranked Brooke Henderson had a 73 to drop into a tie for 19th at 3 under. The 18-year-old Canadian has eight straight top-10 finishes.

Amateurs Cheyenne Knight and Karah Sanford were among the 53 players to advance to the final round in the event that features two cuts.

Knight, a 19-year-old University of Alabama freshman from nearby Aledo, was tied for 26th at 2 under after a 72. The 14-year-old Sanford, a high school freshman from San Diego, was tied for 46th at even par after a 71.

IRVING, Texas – Gerina Piller made herself right at home Friday in the LPGA Tour’shooting a 6-under 65 to take the lead in the suspended second round.

The long-hitting U.S. Solheim Cup player lives in Plano, about 20 miles from Las Colinas Country Club. She birdied three of the final five holes in her bogey-free round to reach 10-under 132.

“I don’t get to have my family out a lot, so having them out definitely takes my mind off of it because I just love spending time with them,” Piller said. “But it’s hard to get in your tournament routine when you go back home and you might have laundry to do or dishes to put away, something that you don’t normally do on the road. Tuesday trash day. So you’ve kind of got to remind yourself that it’s a tournament and just stick to your routine.”

Play was suspended because of rain just after 4 p.m. and called for the day because of lighting a little after 6 p.m. None of the afternoon starters were unable to finish. The field will be cut to the low 70 and ties after the completion of the round Saturday morning, then trimmed again to the low 50 and ties after the third round.

Winless on the LPGA Tour, Piller tied for third last week in California in the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic for her third straight top-six finish. She hit her approach to 2 feet on the par-5 18th to set up her final birdie.

“The course is actually in soft conditions so that always helps to get the ball to stop,” Piller said. “These greens are pretty tricky. So getting it close is definitely huge out here because the greens, some of them are pretty big, and some of the breaks you can get pretty fast putts going downhill down grain, and you can also get really slow putts going the opposite way. It definitely helps to be hitting it really well.”

She’s married to Martin Piller, the PGA Tour player who tied for fourth last week in San Antonio in the Texas Open. They crossed paths early Monday at the airport.

“It’s always fun to see him and just makes those times that we have together much sweeter,” Piller said. “We definitely don’t take our time that we spend together for granted. I’ll see him probably in two weeks, so it was nice to be able to see him for at least a couple hours.

South Korea’s Eun-Hee Ji was a stroke back at 9 under after a 66.

“I feel pretty good with my swing,” Ji said. “That’s why I made a lot of putts because so close to the pin. I just keep working on my swing.”

First-round leader Mi Jung Hur was 8 under with six holes left. The South Korean player lives in the area in McKinney.

Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn was 7 under after a 66, and South Korea’s Amy Yang was 6 under with seven holes left.

Fifth-ranked Brooke Henderson topped the group at 5 under after a 68. The 18-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., has eight straight top-10 finishes.

“It was a little bit softer after the rain last night and the greens were holding and you were able to be aggressive,” Henderson said. “I didn’t really take advantage as much as I would have liked, but 3 under is a solid round. I’ll have to be better on the weekend.”

Cheyenne Knight, a 19-year-old University of Alabama freshman from nearby Aledo, and South Korea’s Sei Young Kim also were 5 under. Knight, one of four amateurs who earned spots in the field March 16, had four holes left. Kim had seven holes remaining.

Fourth-ranked Stacy Lewis was a stroke over the cut line at 2 over with seven holes left. The 2014 winner in her home-state event, Lewis is winless in 47 events.

Third-ranked Lexi Thompson was 4 over with eight holes to play.

Michelle Wie will miss the cut after following her opening 76 with a 72. Last week, she withdrew during the final round of the Swinging Skirts because of neck spasms. She’s winless since the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open and hasn’t had a top-10 finish in 34 events.

Second-ranked Inbee Park, the 2013 and 2015 champion, is sidelined by a left thumb injury.

Santee, Calif. – California’s John Chin shot a final round 2-under 70 on Friday Carlton Oaks Country Club to earn victory and medalist honours at the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada’s USA West Qualifying Tournament.

Chin finished the week 14-under, one stroke ahead of Rancho Santa Fe, California’s Colin Featherstone, earning him fully exempt status on the Mackenzie Tour for 2016.

“It was a lot of fun out there. My goal was just to try and limit my mistakes and not make any bogeys. Colin’s putter got hot at the end there and made things interesting, but it was a lot of fun,” said Chin.

The win comes on comfortable territory for Chin, who was victorious at Carlton Oaks for the second time in as many weeks, having claimed a Golden State Tour event last week in a warm-up for Q-School.

“I had a lot of confidence coming into this week, so I was just saying ‘why can’t I do it again?” To see the results on top of the hard work, it feels good,” said Chin.

A former Web.com Tour member, Chin said he entered 2016 with renewed focus after missing out at the second stage of Web.com Tour Q-School last fall, and that his offseason preparation paid off over the course of the week.

“The last two days, my ballstriking was a little shaky, but that’s what I practice for – my misses didn’t hurt me too much. Anyone can hit it well, but it’s about when you’re grinding that really counts,” said Chin.

For the week, 40 players in total earned status for the 2016 Mackenzie Tour season.

AVONDALE, La. – Jamie Lovemark and Jhonattan Vegas shared the Zurich Classic lead at 11 under Friday when second-round play was suspended because of darkness.

Lovemark had a 27-hole day at hot and humid TPC Louisiana, completing a 5-under 67 in the first round and adding a 66 in the second in the event that fell behind schedule Thursday with a long rain delay.

“Just happy to be alive,” said Lovemark, winless on the PGA Tour. “It was hot, humid. It’s a tough walk, just soft, so ate a ton, walked slow. Not too bad. …

“I’m going to go sleep, man, find some AC, chill a little bit. I’m staying in town, so get some good food and just kind of relax, watch some basketball.”

Vegas, from Venezuela, shot 64-69.

“Long day,” Vegas said. “I played 30 1/2 holes today. I knew it was going to be an extremely long day, so I just kind of kept the mentality and hit one shot at a time and just played as hard as I can. The course was a little easier this morning with the greens being soft, but the wind picked up in the afternoon, and this course was really hard.”

None of the players in the afternoon wave finished the round, with top-ranked Jason Day at 5 under and facing a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-5 11th when play resumes. The Australian is the first No. 1 player to play in the event since David Duval in 1999.

Brian Stuard, the overnight leader after a 64 on Thursday, was a stroke behind the leaders at 10 under with six holes left.

Harold Varner III was 8 under after a 67. He and Tiger Woods are the only players of black heritage with PGA Tour status this season.

“I just think I’m obviously putting better,” Varner said. “You get out of a few jams when you chip it bad and you hole a few putts you’re supposed to hole, it just makes it a lot easier.”

Patton Kizzire, Thomas Aiken, Daniel Bergerand Patrick Rodgers were 7 under. Kizzire (67-70) and Aiken (68-69) finished, while Bergerhad five holes left, and Rodgers 11 to play.

Canadians Adam Hadwin and David Hearn are both 3 under. Hadwin, of Abbotsford, B.C., finished his round with a 69. Hearn, of Brantford, Ont., is through seven holes and is currently even.

Nick Taylor, of Abbotsford, B.C., is even through 11 holes while Mike Weir of Bright’s Grove, Ont., shot a 3-over 75 in his second round and is currently slated to miss the cut.

Vegas won the 2011 Bob Hope Classic for his lone tour title. He made a double bogey on the par-5 11th – his second hole of the second round – after losing a ball on his second shot.

“I just hit a bad shot,” Vegas said. “I shouldn’t have really gone that close to that tree, but it’s part of the game. I was proud to kind of get my head on the next shot and the next hole and bounce back with birdies after that.”

Concussions and physical impact in youth sport has never been more top of mind. Parents and medical experts often discuss the benefit versus danger, while some brain experts have questioned whether kids should even participate in contact sports. Golf offers a direct competitive advantage — a safe and social alternative that can provide a lifetime of quality golf experiences.

It’s vital to get children experiencing the game and having fun on the course so families can feel a sense of engagement and attachment to the sport — introducing them to golf’s etiquette and life values, such as integrity, honesty, fair play and the spirit of camaraderie inherent with our game. Consider the health benefits of burning 1,450 calories walking 18 holes as well as muscle endurance, blood circulation, flexibility and mental alertness.

As John Gordon writes in Time for Parents to Pitch In, parents play an important role in connecting children to the game. They decide the activities in which to get their children involved and to what level. A study on youth sport suggests that a child is 50 per cent less likely to participate in a sport or activity if he or she has not been introduced by the age of 12.

I agree wholeheartedly that parents play a critical role. I also believe golf facilities can do more to engage with youngsters and parents. Junior golf is a proven revenue driver for golf clubs. There are numerous success stories of PGA of Canada professionals using innovative programming to grow their junior program and subsequent revenue at their facilities. Many are recognized National Junior Golf Development Centres — recognized by Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada as premier facilities for junior development. Clubs with a strong junior golf program often see the fruit of their efforts as those children get older. Junior members with a connection to the game or a course represent a potential lifetime customer.

Clubs that connect with schools in their community offering Golf in Schools understand engagement. They recognize that students learning golf in a school gym might want to continue with golf after the bell rings. That could be buckets at a driving range, lessons, green fee play or a summer junior membership. With 10,000 elementary schools and 4,500 high schools, Canada’s physical education system is the most concentrated opportunity to get children of all ages and demographics introduced to any sport.

What happens when your child is old enough to make their own choices to spend recreational dollars? What is awaiting intermediate-aged golfers who want to enjoy the game but are cost-conscious on spending? The sport cycle relies on those same folks — they will have their own families and will make choices on what sports are best for their kids.

Clubs need to offer golf experiences that deliver the values that today’s consumers are expecting. That includes children, families and potential enthusiasts such as new Canadians or under-represented demographics. For some, it’s a function of cost. For others, it’s joining recreational activities that are social and open to innovation.

Access is important. I wonder if every golf course offered free access to children, how many kids and their families would take up the offer? Kids need to feel welcomed at the golf course. Grassroots programs like Golf in Schools, CN Future Links and Take a Kid to the Course are introducing thousands to the game each year. But kids and their parents make choices. Golf is competing for their attention with other sports and activities.

Junior golf is good for our kids. And it might just be the perfect alternative that safety-conscious parents are looking for.

Golf’s no-contact rule This article was originally published in the April 2016 edition of Golf Canada Magazine. To view the full magazine, click the image to the left.

IRVING, Texas – Mi Jung Hur topped the Thursday in the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout, opening with a 5-under 66 in breezy conditions.

Hur made five straight birdies on the 15th to the first hole. The two-time LPGA Tour winner bogeyed the par-4 fifth and rebounded with a birdie on the par-4 eighth.

“My putting just was everything on the course today,” Hur said. “My shot wasn’t that good and my address wasn’t that comfortable, but my putting did really well.”

She lives in the area in McKinney.

“I used to live in Orlando, Florida, for seven, eight years,” Hur said. “Then we had a tournament here three years ago and I look around, it looks pretty nice to live. So I just asked my parents, ‘Can we move to Texas?’ We love it because there’s two big Korean towns nearby. We just moved right away.”

South Korean players held six of the top eight positions. So Yeon Ryu and Eun-Hee Ji were tied for second with American Gerina Piller at 67, and Sei Young Kim, Amy Yang, Jenny Shin and Scotland’s Catriona Matthew shot 68.

Piller, the U.S. Solheim Cup star who lives in nearby Plano, birdied four of her last seven holes.

“It’s a little tougher this week being a home game and having family in town and just staying at home,” Piller said. “It’s hard to go home and go to bed. You want to do the dishes or stuff like that. Definitely. have to be more conscious with your time and how you prepare just like any other week because you’re at home and it’s kind of pulling you opposite directions.”

She tied for third Sunday in California in the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic for her third straight top-six finish.

“I know that I’m playing really well and I’ve had some really good finishes, so that’s golf, you’ve just kind of got to ride that and just keep pressing on,” Piller said.

Ryu hit 17 greens in regulation.

“Even when I missed, I was still able to putt it. I was just off the green,” Ryu said. “I think today my shot was really great, I just comfortable with everything and like driver, iron, wood, everything was great. Even putting was really great.”

Ji had five birdies in an eight-hole stretch and dropped her only stroke on the par-5 18th.

“I’m really struggling with my allergies, so I’m trying to focus more,” Ji said. “I think flower seeds, something like that. I took all this medicine, but it doesn’t work at all.”

The event features two cuts. The field will be trimmed to the low 70 and ties after 36 holes and the low 50 and ties after 54 holes.

Fifth-ranked Brooke Henderson had a 69. The 18-year-old of Smiths Falls, Ont., has eight straight top-10 finishes.

“Not as windy as some of the weeks we’ve been playing in, but it was windy out there today,” Henderson said. “The course is in great shape, but as the day got going it got a little bit firmer and you kind of had to adjust your numbers a little bit.”

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp shot a 71. Team Canada Amateur Team member Maddie Szeryk – a dual citizen of Canada and the U.S. – had a 73.

Fourth-ranked Stacy Lewis opened with a 74, and third-ranked Lexi Thompson had a 75. Lewis, the 2014 winner in her home-state event, is winless in 47 events.

Michelle Wie shot a 76, four days after withdraw during the final round of the Swinging Skirts because of neck spasms. She’s winless since the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open and hasn’t had a top-10 finish in 33 events.

Second-ranked Inbee Park, the 2013 and 2015 champion, is sidelined by a left thumb injury.

AVONDALE, La. – Brian Stuard shot an 8-under 64 on Thursday to top the leaderboard in the suspended first round of the Zurich Classic.

The 33-year-old Stuard had only 21 putts in his bogey-free round at TPC Louisiana, finishing his final hole after a rain delay of nearly five hours.

“It was just one of those days where it seemed like I was really reading the putts well, and luckily they were going in,” Stuard said. “I picked this putter up last week in San Antonio and had a good feel for it. I putted well last week and it continued over to today.”

None of the afternoon starters were able to finish before darkness suspended play.

Top-ranked Jason Day bogeyed his final two holes after the delay for 69.

“It’s just the waiting part,” Day said. “Obviously, the weather hovering above us just wouldn’t go away. It had just been a very long wait, and you just want to get in and finish. I had two holes left. Yeah, I mean, clearly a little frustrated, but looking forward to tomorrow.”

The Australian is the first No. 1 player to play in the event since David Duval in 1999.

“I’ve just got to manage myself out there,” Day said. “Obviously, this is going to be bit of a tough week with these double start rounds. Some guys are going out to play 27 holes tomorrow, or some guys have got to play 36. With that said, I might be able to sneak in nine holes and play 27 on Saturday, but I’ve just got to stay positive, keep moving forward, and see how it goes from there.”

Retief Goosen was second after a 65. The 47-year-old South African is a two-time U.S. Open champion.

“I hit a couple of bad shots coming in, unfortunately, but I managed to save pars,” Goosen said. “It’ll be a long wait now until my next round.”

J.J. Henry, Geoff Ogilvy, Derek Ernst, Charles Howell III and Patrick Rodgers shot 67, and Rickie Fowler topped the group at 68.

“A lot of just sitting around, hanging out,” Fowler said. “Boo (Weekley) was in there sleeping at one point. There was people spread out all over, from player family dining to the locker room. There might have been some pictures posted on Snapchat. But no, it’s always fun to hang with the fellow players and families and just kind of relax.”

Stuard is winless on the PGA Tour. He’s making only his seventh start of the season.

“I haven’t been able to get in too many tournaments,” Stuard said. “I played last week and then this week, obviously, so playing two in a row is kind of nice to get a little momentum going. … It’s tough. I guess it’s just part of the deal. You’ve got to deal with it. But it’s definitely tough, not sure what your schedule is going to be even next week.”

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., had a 69 and found himself tied for 12th at 3-under. Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., was in the following group tied for 26th place after a 2-under 70.

Adam Hadwin, also of Abbotsford, found himself at even-par thru three holes, while Mike Weir of Bright’s Grove, Ont., was 1-over after six holes.

Santee, Calif. – California’s John Chin shot a 6-under 66 on Thursday at Carlton Oaks Country Club to take the 54-hole lead at Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada qualifying school.

The 29-year old rebounded from bogeys on his first two holes with eight birdies to reach 12-under for the tournament, three shots ahead of fellow Californian Colin Featherstone with one round to go.

“It was kind of a kick in the butt and got me going,” said Chin of the bogey-bogey start. “I didn’t feel like I was trying to press anything and was just trying to take it one shot at a time, and 66 is just what happened.”

A former Web.com Tour member, Chin was victorious at a Golden State Tour event held at Carlton Oaks last week. The University of California-Irvine grad said he’s benefited from being familiar with the challenges presented by the tough Perry Dye layout.

“It’s definitely a ball-striker’s course. If you’re not striking your ball somewhat decently, you’re going to have a hard time even playing out here,” said Chin.

Jae Yong Kim is the leading Canadian heading to the final round. The North York, Ont., native is tied for 8th at 1-under after a 2-under 70.

The Hyundai PGA Scramble of Canada’s  new website is now up and running.

Visitors to the website—www.hyundaipgascramble.com—can easily locate and register for local qualifiers across the country. Currently there are more than 100 local qualifying sites from B.C. to Newfoundland.

The Hyundai PGA Scramble of Canada is a new national series of events taking place across the country beginning this June.

The series of events expects to draw nearly 20,000 amateur golfers—who will form their own team of four players— from across the country. Teams will look to make it through local and regional qualifying with the ultimate goal of playing in the national final this fall at Lookout Point Country Club, with a PGA of Canada professional playing on their team.

Each golfer who plays in a Hyundai PGA Scramble of Canada local event will receive impressive gifting and prizing from supporting partners.

In addition to the 36-hole championship, the Hyundai PGA Scramble of Canada national final promises to be a golf trip of a lifetime, which includes a festival of special events, prizing, activations and a chance to interact with the latest Hyundai vehicles.

The website also features a detailed summary of the Hyundai PGA Scramble of Canada event rules, policies and eligibility.

The website was designed in partnership by Saskatoon’s Green Golf Designs and Yastech Developments.

The first Hyundai PGA Scramble of Canada local qualifier takes place June 5th at the home of the PGA of Canada, Blue Springs Golf Club in Acton, Ont.

For more information about the Hyundai PGA Scramble of Canada, click here.