SAN ANTONIO – Ricky Barnes shot a 5-under 67 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead in the Valero Texas Open in a bid for his first PGA Tour victory.

Winless in 221 starts with a career-best runner-up finish in the 2009 U.S. Open, the 35-year-old Barnes had an 11-under 205 total at TPC San Antonio. He closed with a bogey after a wild drive near a cactus bush on the par-5 18th.

“I’d be lying if I would say it was a successful career being out here without a win,” Barnes said. “This is why you play the game, right? Come in on Sundays and have a chance to win.”

Brendan Steele, the leader after each of the first two rounds, was second after a 72.

“I played with Ricky last week, and his game is looking really good right now,” said Steele, the 2011 winner for his lone tour title. “I was really struggling. I was able to make enough recovery shots to not make many mistakes and I was able to be patient enough and make a couple of birdies at the end.”

Former world No. 1 Luke Donald and three-time tour winner Charley Hoffman were two strokes back. Donald, coming off a second-place tie last week in the RBC Heritage in South Carolina, shot a 68. Hoffman missed a 7-foot birdie putt on the last hole and settled for a 70.

“Sure feels good to be back in contention again and having chances to win,” Donald said. “I switched putters last week (and) obviously making more putts.”

Patrick Reed was fifth at 8 under after a 70. He was born in San Antonio.

Billy Horschel (67) and three-time major winner Padraig Harrington (68) were 7 under along with Chad Collins (67), Jon Curran (71), Martin Piller (71) and Nick Taylor (66).

Horschel hasn’t won since the 2014 Tour Championship, and Harrington has one PGA Tour win last year in the Honda Classic since his claimed his third major at the 2008 PGA Championship.

“I think if I’m in command of my game,” Horschel said, “it doesn’t matter where I am. I can get the job done. I’ve figured out something in my swing.”

In addition to his seven birdies, Barnes did well to rescue himself from trouble. His bogey from the 18th could have been much worse when his drive went left and settled next to the cactus.

“A bad swing at the end,” Barnes said. “If you told me 5 under today, I would have taken it before the round.”

He birdied No. 11, 12 and 14 to take the lead. He managed that despite finding the fairway bunker at No. 12, and he blasted to 3 feet from a greenside bunker at the par-5 14th.

“It’s not a fluke being out here,” said Barnes, coming off a ninth-place tie in the RBC Heritage. “I’ve been showing a lot lately. Just need to keep what I’m doing the last three days.”

Steele got off to a sticky start. He wasn’t as lucky as Barnes when pulled his tee shot on No. 2 into a cactus bush and took an unplayable lie on the way to a bogey.

“I didn’t hit many fairways today,” Steele said. “Kind of bad right out of the gate.”

Hoffman had a share of the lead before a bogey at No. 12. He reached the par-5 14th in two and converted for a birdie, and made a 6-footer for another birdie at 16.

“Obviously, this course fits my eye,” Hoffman said. “I’ve been knocking on the door for the last month and a half. I want to get a win and take what comes along.”

DALY CITY, Calif. – Haru Nomura shot a 1-under 71 in cool and breezy conditions Saturday at Lake Merced and escaped a two-shot penalty to maintain a three-stroke lead in the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic.

The 23-year-old Japanese player met with rules officials after the round to discuss her play from an awkward stance in the left greenside bunker on the par-5 sixth hole.

“It was slopey, so I was trying to take a stance, but I kept slipping downhill, and in order to get a firm stance, I had to – even when I had to do a practice swing – I had to swing real hard, and when I did, I kept moving forward again and again,” Nomura said. “There was no option, but to move like that, but they were saying that I was moving excessively, but what I was trying to tell them was, ‘OK, then what is the guideline. There should be some sort of a standard, a regulation that explains what an infraction is and not.'”

The officials decided no penalty was warranted, leaving her with a par on the hole and a 10-under 206 total.

“For me the two-stroke penalty, it wouldn’t really have made a big difference,” Nomura said. “If I did something wrong, I have to accept it. But there was really no clear rule about what the guidelines were, so I would just focus on my game and just leave it at that.”

She won the Australian Women’s Open in February, pulling away to beat top-ranked Lydia Ko by three strokes for her first LPGA Tour title.

“You could say it’s confidence and you can call it what it is, but what I feel right now is I feel very comfortable about golf,” Nomura said. “I just want to have fun. I’m not thinking about trying to beat someone. It’s really about having fun.”

Ko was six strokes back at 4 under after a 73. The two-time defending champion will be 19 on Sunday.

“My game wasn’t really up to it today,” Ko said. “It was pretty average. But I felt like chipping, short game-wise it was good, but I wasn’t making the putts that needed to go in for birdie or those crucial par saves. … I’ve just got to stay positive.”

South Africa’s Lee-Anne Pace and South Korea’s Na Yeon Choi were tied for second.

Pace had a 69. She won a 2014 event in China for her lone LPGA Tour title.

“Obviously, the conditions are going to be the same tomorrow probably, a little cooler, I think,” Pace said. “But just the same thing. On a course like this you have to play on the right side. You have to stay below the hole keep it in the fairway and on the greens.”

Choi shot 71. She won twice last year and has nine LPGA Tour victories.

“It was tough,” Choi said. “I think especially the greens were so firm and a lot of holes have front pins, so it’s hard to stop the ball around the pin. … I like chasing, so I feel great about this tournament and this week and about my game. I have confidence, so just keep playing aggressive.”

So Yeon Ryu was 5 under along with Brooke Henderson, Catriona Matthew and Gerina Piller. Ryu, the first-round leader after a tournament-record 63, followed a second-round 75 with a 73.

Henderson has seven straight top-10 finishes. The 18-year-old Canadian chipped in for birdie on the par-5 18th for a 69.

“I kind of mis-hit my approach shot there, but was able to come back with a nice chip-in and make the day feel a little bit better than it was,” Henderson said. “I’m really close and my game is close to being really good. I just have to stay patient and keep doing what I’m doing.”

The 46-year-old Matthew shot a 71, and Piller had a 72.

“It was really hard,” Piller said. “The pins were a lot tougher today. They put a lot of them on the front, and the course is firming up again. Yesterday it was pretty soft with the rains. But front pins make it pretty difficult to get it close. And the wind, you’ve got to accommodate for the wind, accommodate for the cold, so it just makes it a tough day.”

Minjee Lee also was 4 under after a 74. The 2012 U.S. Girls’ Junior champion at Lake Merced, the Australian won last week in Hawaii for her second LPGA Tour title.

LEON, GTO, Mexico – Brad Fritsch will play in the final group on Sunday for the second straight Web.com Tour event. After a bogey on the par-4 17th, Fritsch bounce backed with a birdie on thRoyce Thompsone par-5 finishing hole for a 3-under 69. His 16-under-par 200 total puts him two clear of Wesley Bryan (71) after 54 holes of the El Bosque Mexico Championship presented by INNOVA.

Five-time PGA TOUR winner Jonathan Byrd, who recorded nine birdies in his third round, is in solo third after a sizzling 65.

Martin Flores (70) trails by five while Ollie Schniederjans (66), Mexico’s Sebastian Vazquez (67) and Brian Campbell (72) are six off the pace in a share of fifth.

“I could get used to it,” said Fritsch, who will be paired with Bryan in the final round. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be besides in the lead. I’m going to embrace it tomorrow.”

Fritsch is riding a wave of confidence like something you would find on Oahu’s North Shore. When he arrived in Leon, the 38-year-old from Ottawa, Ontario didn’t plan on hitting many drivers around El Bosque Country Club, but things changed quickly. The Steve Newgent design is very demanding on some of the par 5s, especially the eighth and 18th, two holes that don’t fit Fritsch’s eye.

“There are a lot of things that can go wrong on those holes,” said Fritsch, who is 13-under on the par 5s this week. “Sometimes plans change when you’re swinging it well, and with confidence you can be a little more aggressive.”

Fritsch was certainly that on the par-5 18th hole. From the fairway, Fritsch chose to go for it in two and sailed his second over the green. From there, he chipped it to 5 feet and made the putt to post 16-under.

Fritsch’s day wasn’t as smooth as his scorecard appeared. He had a few breaks go his way including a nice birdie on the par-5 10th, where he drained a 20-footer after running his chip past the hole. The Campbell University graduate also made a great par-save at No. 14. Fritsch blocked his drive right behind a patch of trees and was forced to hit a low runner into the greenside bunker. He blasted his third to 5 feet and knocked in the par putt to stay at 16-under.

“Those are momentum changers,” said Fritsch.

Fritsch has put a lot of time into his game. Not only is the 16-year-pro seeing the results, others on Tour are taking notice as well.

“If we can all catch the Tiger Woods of the Web.com Tour right now,” said Byrd, who is four back heading into Sunday. “He’s playing pretty good right now.”

After the round, Fritsch wasn’t able to pinpoint one thing that’s caused this surge of good play. He believes it’s a combination of the hard work he has put in back home in Holly Springs, North Carolina, and a hot putter.

“A couple of people have asked me that,” said Fritsch. “As one area gets better, it snowballs and the rest of the game clicks.”

Bryan’s day didn’t go as he had planned. After a birdie at the 10th, he made a “boatload of pars,” eight to be precise, to close out his third round. Despite the 1-under score, the 26-year-old from Columbia, South Carolina, has a chance to earn his second Tour win on Sunday.

“Anytime you put yourself in contention, that’s mission accomplished,” said Bryan. “I’ve got to put my head down and go to work tomorrow.”

SARASOTA, Fla. – Nicole Broch Larsen of Denmark used a dream sequence on holes eight and nine to catapult into the lead at the Guardian Retirement Championship at Sara Bay. Larsen made a hole-in-one on eight and a birdie on nine and carded a 3-under 69 to take the outright lead into Sunday’s final-round at -3, 141. She has a three shot lead on Quebec’s Sara–Maude Juneau, who posted a 2–over 74 and stands at even–par, 144. There are three players within five shots of the lead.

Juneau posted a 2-over 74 on Saturday and will head into the final-round in contention for her first win.

“I had a couple bogeys to start the round, but I kept my calm,” said Juneau, who made bogey on three of her first seven holes. “The golf course was once again difficult today.”

Juneau made birdie on hole No. 1 to start her second nine after she stuffed her approach to six inches. She also closed with a birdie on the par-5 ninth when she chipped on and rolled in a 6-footer.

Juneau has two second places finishes on her resume and 14 total top 10’s during her career on the Symetra Tour. She will use her experience in pursuit of her first career win.

“This isn’t my first time being in contention heading into Sunday and I know what is important,” said Juneau, who was at home watching hockey while talking to the media. “I know I need my rest and I’m ready for Sunday.”

Larsen, the 2015 Ladies European Tour (LET) Player of the Year, had a ho-hum start to the day with seven pars. On the eighth hole, she made her third career hole-in-one and her first as a professional. With the wind against her, she hit a 7-iron from 155-yards and rolled it right in. It was just the second hole-in-one on the Symetra Tour in 2016.

“It was really cool and it was actually a really good shot,” said Larsen. “It bounced once or twice and then went in, I was pumped.”

She proceeded to follow up the ace with a birdie on nine to make the turn in 33. Her only mishap of the day was a bogey on 12. She closed with a 24-foot birdie putt on 18 to post the round of the tournament so far.

“I wasn’t able to birdie 17 so it was really nice to birdie 18,” said Broch Larsen, who finished third on the LET Order of Merit in 2015. “It’s a great way to finish and head into the final-round.”

Larsen is the top ranked player in the field at No. 72 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings. She will likely head back to the LET after this week’s event, but would love to earn her second professional win.

“A win is always nice and it doesn’t matter where it is,” said Broch Larsen. “It would be a big confidence boost if I can get the win. My game is going quite well and progressing day-by-day and hopefully I will have the trophy on Sunday.”

This is Larsen’s second Symetra Tour event. She missed the cut at the Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial last week.

She is also in great position to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games. She currently ranks No. 30 on the International Golf Federation rankings and the top 60 on July 11 will qualify.

“Besides going to the LPGA in 2017, qualifying for the Olympics is my biggest goal,” said Broch Larsen. “A win will help me to get there as well.”

Broch Larsen will tee in the final-round at 12:13 p.m. on Sunday with Juneau and Volvik Race for the Card money list No. 1 Madelene Sagstrom (+2, Enkoping, Sweden).

SAN ANTONIO – Brendan Steele completed an 8-under 64 in the morning and shot a 70 in the second round Friday to take a three-stroke lead in the Texas Open.

“You always want to keep going when you’re feeling good,” said Steele, who was 8 under through 13 holes Thursday when first-round play was stopped because of darkness. “The ball was going a long way in the afternoon. Really good conditions. … Come out this morning early and little bit colder and try to re-gather that momentum was a little bit different.”

The 2011 winner at TPC San Antonio for his lone tour title, Steele had a 10-under 134 total.

“I always feel good here,” Steele said. “I know the shots. The course sets up really well for me. Kind of plays into my strength, which is usually driving the ball.

“And so to see it play a little bit softer and with a little less wind, my eyes kind of lit up. It always plays so difficult, firm and fast and the winning score is just a handful under par usually. To see it soften up a little bit, I knew it was good.”

Play was suspended because of darkness with 13 players left on the course. The schedule was thrown off Thursday morning with a 3 1/2-hour rain delay.

Scott Langley, Stuart Appleby and Charley Hoffman were tied for second. Langley shot 68, Appleby 70, and Hoffman 71. Appleby rallied after four-putting from 7 feet for a triple bogey on his opening hole.

“I was swatting at it _ a golf ball got in the way,” Appleby was able to joke. “I was doing like when Seve (Ballesteros) had a four-putt many years ago. I asked him, ‘How did you have a four-putt?’ He said ”I miss. I miss. I miss. I make.’“

Nick Taylor is the top Canadian through 36 holes after shooting a 4-under 68 on Friday. The Abbotsford, B.C., native sits at 1 under, good for 40th spot. David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., is even after a 1-under 71 in the second round.

Patrick Reed (73) was 6 under along with Ricky Barnes (70), Jon Curran (68), Sung Kang (67), Spencer Levin (69), Peter Malnati (71), Ryan Palmer (70) and Mark Wilson (69).

“I feel like I hit a couple of loose shots,” said Reed, who was born in San Antonio. “The game feels solid. Just the ball striking a little bit.”

Branden Grace, the RBC Heritage winner last week in South Carolina, shot his second round 72 to make the cut on the number.

Defending champion Jimmy Walker missed the cut with rounds of 75 and 77. Phil Mickelson also dropped out, shooting 77-71.

“I don’t feel bad about the physical game, the ball coming off the blade,” Mickelson said. “The swing is on plane. I need better mental focusing, seeing the shot before I step into it.”

Former SMU star Bryson DeChambeau also missed the cut in his second pro start, shooting 74-73.

DALY CITY, Calif. – Haru Nomura shot a 2-under 70 in windy conditions Friday at Lake Merced to take the second-round lead in the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic.

The 23-year-old Japanese player had a 9-under 135 total for a three-stroke lead over South Koreans So Yeon Ryu and Na Yeon Choi and Australia’s Minjee Lee.

“Today very windy, so I thought today’s best score even par,” Nomura said. “So, I keep my patience, so I’m so relaxed, and a couple putts go in.”

She opened with 11 straight pars, then made 15-foot birdie putts on the par-3 12th and par-4 13th. She dropped a stroke on the par-4 16th after driving into the right rough and short-siding herself in the left greenside bunker, and rebounded with a birdie on the par-4 17th.

“I will try and keep the patience this weekend,” Nomura said.

Nomura won the Australian Women’s Open in February, pulling away to beat top-ranked Lydia Ko by three strokes for her first LPGA Tour title.

Ko was four strokes back at 5 under after a 71. The two-time defending champion birdied three of the first three holes, but bogeyed two of the last four.

“I knew with the wind getting up, I knew it would be tough,” Ko said. “Just seeing yesterday afternoon’s scores, I saw that the back nine played quite tough yesterday, and it kind of played the same. I don’t think it was because the holes are particularly more difficult. I think the fairways are a little tighter, so if you miss them, you’re having a tough time trying to scramble for par.”

Set to turn 19 on Sunday, the New Zealander already has two victories in California this year, winning the Kia Classic and ANA Inspiration – the first major of the year – in consecutive weeks.

Ryu, the first-round leader after a tournament-record 63, bogeyed four of her first five holes in rain and wind and finished with a 75.

“The weather was pretty bad until the sixth hole,” Ryu said. “It was like really strong wind and rain. Also the wind direction just keep changing, so it was really hard to judge where is the wind coming from.”

The 19-year-old Lee followed her opening 73 with a bogey-free 65 in calmer morning conditions.

“I just took advantage of the opportunities I had,” Lee said. “I just stayed patient. If I made a mistake, I tried to make up-and-downs, and I did today. Just chipped and putted well today.”

Lee won the Lotte Championship last week in Hawaii for her second LPGA Tour title. She took the 2012 U.S. Girls’ Junior at Lake Merced.

Choi had a 70.

“A lot of bogeys out there, but I tried to hang in there until the last hole,” Choi said. “I didn’t give up.”

American Gerina Piller also was 5 under after a 71.

Brooke Henderson was tied for 16th at 2 under after her second straight 71. The 18-year-old Canadian has seven straight top-10 finishes.

Third-ranked Lexi Thompson (74) and former Stanford student Michelle Wie (73) were 2 over.

No. 4 Stacy Lewis had a 76 to make the cut by a stroke at 4 under.

Fifty-five-year-old Juli Inkster also was 4 under in home event, shooting her second 74. Fellow area star Paula Creamer dropped out, following an opening 72 with a 78.

As we celebrate this year’s Earth Day, here are five facts about golf and the sport’s focus on the environment.

1. Golf courses are professionally-managed landscapes where environmental protection and preservation are important – from using water and nutrients efficiently to implementing improved methods of erosion control.
2. In general, the golf industry strives to deliver firm playing surfaces that are better for everyone and improve the bottom line. More than two-thirds of golf courses report that they are keeping turfgrass drier than in the past.
3. The golf industry is continually investing in research to identify drought-tolerant grasses and improve water conservation through best management practices.
4. Golf courses provide habitats for wildlife, including a number of protected species.
5. Many golf courses make use of recycling programs to reduce and reuse.

SAN ANTONIO – Brendan Steele topped the Texas Open leaderboard at 8 under through 13 holes Thursday when the first round was suspended because of darkness.

Steele, whose only PGA Tour victory came in the tournament five years ago, was unable to finish the opening round after play was delayed for 3 1/2 hours because of morning rain.

Among those who did finish, Charley Hoffman had a 6-under 66, a stroke ahead of Stuart Appleby and Peter Malnati.

Defending champion Jimmy Walker opened with a 75. Walker had four rounds under par last year in his hometown event to hold off Jordan Spieth in what was his last PGA Tour victory.

Spieth isn’t in this year’s field, the first time since he turned pro at the end of 2012 that he missed a Texas event.

When Steele returns Friday morning to complete the first round at the TPC Oaks Course, he could make a run at the course record of 63 set by Matt Every in 2012 and matched by Martin Laird in 2012.

There are a pair of Canadians in the field this week. Brantford, Ont.’s David Hearn was 1-over with 1-hole remaining. Abbotsford, B.C.’s Nick Taylor was 3-over thru 14 holes.

DALY CITY, Calif. – So Yeon Ryu shot a tournament-record 9-under 63 on Thursday to take the early first-round lead in the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic.

Playing in the first group of the day off the 10th tee, the South Korean player had seven birdies in an eight-hole stretch on the back nine and added two more on the front nine at Lake Merced.

“I was kind of lucky to tee it off really early,” Ryu said. “I had a really fresh green, no wind. Also San Francisco is really cold in the morning, but this morning it was just perfect temperature.

“I think today just everything was just great. My tee shot was great. I only missed one green today. I shot 17 greens. Putting was really good.”

Japan’s Haru Nomura was second after a 65. China’s Xi Yu Lin and the Netherlands’ Christel Boeljon shot 67, and two-time defending champion Lydia Ko topped the group at 68. Ko already has two victories in California this year, winning the Kia Classic and ANA Inspiration in consecutive weeks.

“Course is easy, whatever course she’s playing on,” the top-ranked Ko joked about Ryu. “Obviously, everything was going right today. For her to shoot a score like that, that’s really impressive.”

Ryu is winless since the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open. She also won the 2011 U.S. Women Open and 2012 Jamie Farr Toledo Classic.

“Every tournament, I really want to win” Ryu said. “I think it’s a bit too early to discuss about the result. We still have three more days.”

U.S. Women’s Open champion In Gee Chun braided Ko’s hair on the opening hole.

“I had my two bracelets and my hair tie and I was planning on braiding my hair before I played,” Ko said. “She was like, ‘Oh, doesn’t it bother you having stuff on your wrist? I said, ‘No, no.’ Well, the hair tie was for me to braid it. She was like, ‘Do you want me to braid it for you?’ I was like, ‘Sure. It’s going to end up way nicer than how I braid it.’ She did good. I told her, ‘It’s hairstylist In Gee.”’

Chun opened with a 71

Canadian Brooke Henderson also shot a 71. The 18-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., has seven straight top-10 LPGA finishes.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp had a 1-over 73, while Quebec’s Maude-Aimee LeBlanc struggled to a 6-over 78.

Lake Mary, Florida. – Saskatoon’s Anna Young picked up her first professional win today in the NWGA Tour event being held at Alaqua Country Club in Lake Mary, Fla.

Young carded rounds of 67-72-70 to finish 4-under par on the par 71 track.

“Today’s goal was to stay within each shot, not taking too many unnecessary chances,” said Young who carded one of only two rounds under par this morning.

Monifa Sealy carded the other sub par round of 68 to move up into second place.

For full scoring, click here.