RALEIGH, N.C. – J.J. Spaun and Brady Schnell share the lead at 9-under 133 after 36 holes at the Rex Hospital Open, with 11 players within two shots of the lead heading into the weekend.

Spaun held a one-shot lead entering Friday after a first-round 63, but was up-and-down during his second round with a 1-under 70 that included three birdies and two bogeys.

Schnell began his second round on the back nine at TPC Wakefield Plantation and birdied Nos. 12, 13 and 14 before adding another birdie at the par-3 16th to reach 4-under-par through seven holes. The fast start gave way to a slew of pars over the final 11 holes for Schnell, who wound up posting a second-round 67 to tie Spaun atop the leaderboard.

This is the first time either Spaun or Schnell has held a share of the lead after the first two rounds at a Web.com Tour event.

“If they said 9-under without even pegging it, I would have said, ‘You’ve got a deal,’” Spaun said. “I’m happy with the way I played today and yesterday obviously. Today was just one of those days where you can’t really get any momentum going, but I’m in a good position. I’m happy.”

At the event’s halfway point, Spaun – who finished first on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada’s Order of Merit last year – has missed only four greens through 36 holes. The difference in his two rounds, he said, was posting just 28 putts on Thursday compared to 32 recorded on Friday.

“I felt like I played overall pretty solid,” Spaun said. “I would just like to have a few more putts go in, but, hey, a lot of putts were going in yesterday so it kind of evened out.”

Schnell is making his 50th career Web.com Tour start this week at the Rex Hospital Open. The 31-year-old made a career-high 20 starts in 2015, notching the first two top-10s of his career, including a T8 at the Club Colombia Championship Presented by Claro. Schnell finished 81st on the Regular Season money list, but finished T5 at the Tour’s Qualifying Tournament in December to secure exempt status subject to the third reshuffle of the 2016 season.

Entering the week in Raleigh, Schnell had missed the cut in his last four starts, but said he drew inspiration from James Hahn’s win at the Wells Fargo Championship last week, a victory that came to fruition after missing eight consecutive cuts prior to his victory.

“It’s always good to be right up near the lead,” Schnell said. “Especially with how things have been progressing for me lately, it’s nice to see the top of the leaderboard. I feel good going into the weekend, so I’ve just got to go make it happen.”

Jason Millard (68), Chris Wilson (70), Julian Etulain (66), Chase Marinell (68) and Dominic Bozzelli (66) are all just one shot back of the leaders at 8-under for the tournament.

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – The Pacific edition of the CN Future Links Championships opened Golf Canada’s 2016 competitive season today at The Dunes at Kamloops Golf Club. Tony Gil and Mary Parsons each shot rounds of 6-under 66 to lead the Junior Boys and Junior Girls Divisions, respectively.

Gil, who is beginning his third year as a member of Team Canada’s Development Squad, tallied four straight birdies between holes seven to 10 en route to a bogey-free round. The native of Vaughan, Ont., holds a three-stroke lead over Khan Lee of Surrey, B.C., who sits T2 alongside Calgarian Conaire Kehoe at 3-under. Kehoe, notched an eagle and four birdies on the day, including three across a bogey-free back nine.

Four players are tied for fourth, including Development Squad member A.J. Ewart. The 17-year-old bogeyed the third hole, but added three birdies on the day to reach 2-under. A product of Coquitlam, B.C., Ewart sits knotted with British Columbians Michael Crisologo (Richmond) and Gavin Ciulla (Surrey), as well as Ethan Choi of Pincher Creek, Alta.

Completing the Men’s Development Squad contingent are Alexander Smith of Calgary and Charles-Éric Bélanger of Quebec. Smith sits T24 at 1-over while Bélanger is T44 after an opening-round 76.

Delta, B.C., native Mary Parsons notched an eagle on the par-5 second hole and added eight birdies to finish with a 66. The 16-year-old is four shots clear of two members of Team Canada’s Women’s Development Squad: Chloe Currie of Mississauga, Ont., and Tiffany Kong of Vancouver. The pair each collected three birdies on the day and were bogey-free across their final 14 holes.

Two British Columbians – Tiegan Taylor of Kelowna and Abigail Rigsby of Courtenay – carded rounds of 1-over 73 to open the tournament at T4. Taylor collected a trio of birdies on the day, while Rigsby’s bogey on the final hole broke her string of 17-straight pars.

Grace St-Germain, who claimed the Junior Girls title at this event in 2015, is T6 at 2-over-par. British Columbians Kathrine Chan of Richmond and Hannah Lee of Surrey – who are T16 and T22 respectively – complete the quintet of Women’s Development Squad members at the event.

The top six finishers 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. In the case of ties, exemptions will be decided via a hole-by-hole playoff. 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 conducted from 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.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The sky was getting so dark that Jason Day could barely see the flag on the 14th hole, much less the small crowd that waited out a two-hour storm delay Friday at The Players Championship. The way he was playing, he sure could hear them.

His 5-iron from 190 yards into a strengthening wind rolled to the back of the green and settled 2 feet away.

“A great shot,” said Day, who can be stingy with self-praise.

His second big birdie to end his long day stretched his lead to three shots before it was too dark to continue, and Day stepped into a van for a short drive to the clubhouse. His first task was to check the wind for the morning when he had to finish four holes.

He already was 14-under par. He was on a record-setting pace at the TPC Sawgrass. And he could only think about pushing.

“I’m at 14-under par, I’ve got a good lead going on, I just can’t sit back,” Day said. “I need to keep pushing forward. And the moment that I lose a little bit of focus and make a few mental errors and mistakes, that’s when I let the field back in. And I just can’t afford to do that.”

Shane Lowry had a 68 and was at 11-under 133, a solid round that only got going when he hit a wedge so badly that it didn’t each reach the island green at the par-3 17th. He managed to escape with bogey, and then holed a wedge from about 180 yards on the 18th hole for eagle.

Two tough pars at the end of his round meant he was likely to be in the final group with Day. Not bad for a guy who was hitting it so badly Wednesday that he was dreading the thought of even playing.

“I thought I’d be booking a plane ticket now, how I was feeling on Wednesday,” Lowry said. “Yeah, golf is a funny game. Sometimes low expectations brings good results and high expectations brings no results.”

Jordan Spieth was just hopeful of a Saturday tee time, as was Phil Mickelson.

Spieth, looking frustrated as ever, got to the projected cut of 2 under with back-to-back birdies to start the back nine, only to catch a bad break when a rake kept his ball from rolling into the bunker and stayed on the steep slope leading to the sand. The best he could do was chip over the green and he made bogey, and his tee shot was wild to the right on the 15th when they stopped because of darkness. Spieth was at 1 under.

Mickelson had to make an 8-foot par putt on the par-5 16th to stay at 1 under. He was to return at 9:15 a.m. to play the 17th and 18th, likely needing a birdie on one of them to make the cut.

Defending champion Rickie Fowler shot 71 and was at 1-under 143. He needed help to make the cut.

Greg Norman set the 36-hole record of 14-under 130 at The Players in 1994, the year the Shark made only one bogey the entire week. Day looks just as good and has yet to drop a shot over the 32 holes he has played. He ended his day with a 40-foot birdie putt down the slope at No. 13 and the 5-iron for his tap-in birdie at the 14th.

“Hopefully, I can hit some good, solid shots coming in and at least try to get a couple more birdies,” Day said.

Alex Cejka and Jonas Blixt each shot 67 and were at 10-under 134, along with Cameron Tringale (69).

Another day of calm and soft greens in the morning led to more record-tying performances, and a few irritated golfers who could have gone even lower. Colt Knost made a 15-foot birdie putt on the 17th to reach 10 under, only to three-putt the 18th and have to settle for a course record-tying 63.

“I was a little nervous over the second one,” Knost said about his 5-footer for par and a 62. “I knew what it was for. But I didn’t hit a bad putt. I hit it on the left lip and it just stayed there. So a little disappointing, but still, I would have taken 9 under before I started today.”

Then came Rory McIlroy, 7 under through seven holes when he made a 50-foot eagle putt from just off the 16th green. His momentum slowed, but he still came to the par-5 ninth needing a birdie to become the first player to shoot 62 on the Stadium Course at Sawgrass.

McIlroy opted to lay up from 271 yards because going for the green historically has not worked out well for him on No. 9. Laying up wasn’t much better. He chunked a wedge, chunked a chip and made bogey for a 64.

“I wanted to make birdie and shoot 62,” he said. “So yeah, I’m disappointed, but there’s still two more days to go. That’s the nice thing. I’m in good position heading into the weekend. … Hopefully, I’m not too far behind.”

Even with a storm delay, there was no shortage of excitement.

The biggest thrill belonged to Will Wilcox, who hit pitching wedge for a hole-in-one on the island-green 17th. It was the first ace on that hole in 14 years.

Abbotsford, B.C., native Adam Hadwin tops the Canadian contingent at 4-under to sit T48. David Hearn from Brantford, Ont., matched his opening round of 71 and is T65. Nick Taylor, also from Abbotsford, B.C., and Weyburn, Sask., product Graham DeLaet are 2-over and 3-over, respectively.

It was only fitting that on the same day the 2016 HBC Olympic golf uniform was unveiled, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame & Museum also uncovered a rare treasure within its collection commemorating George S. Lyon’s 1904 Olympic victory.

This program is from a dinner hosted by Lambton Golf & Country Club in honour of its member’s victory. The celebration exemplifies the pride and joy that his fellow members, as well as all Canadians, felt following his win.

The interior of the program includes the toasts given before the evening’s festivities and the menu served.

The Olympic trophy is featured on the back.

Hopefully, the tradition will continue and a similar dinner will be held for a Canadian in August.

RALEIGH, N.C. – J.J. Spaun matched a career-best, 8-under 63 to take a one-shot lead at the Rex Hospital Open. The 25-year-old posted six birdies and an eagle at the par-5 15th in the opening round to take his second opening-round lead of 2016. Chris Wilson and Canadian Ryan Yip are just one shot back of the lead after 7-under 64s.

“Yeah, today was one of those days where everything was kind of clicking, driving it well, hitting irons well, finishing up putts,” Spaun said. “It was just one of those days where everything was kind of firing on the right cylinder.”

Spaun, No. 1 on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Order of Merit a year ago, opened the Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by NACHER in March with an 8-under 63 before finishing in a tie for seventh.

“Just trying to stick to game plans, don’t try to be too conservative. I think that’s what I learned from Chitimacha,” Spaun said. “I came out firing the first day and then kind of cooled off the last three rounds.”

Spaun’s 2016 campaign has included the Northern Trust Open Exemption, awarded annually to a top golfer who represents the advancement of diversity in golf, and wouldn’t otherwise be eligible to compete in the PGA TOUR’s long-standing event at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California.

Rounds of 77-75–152 (10-over) left Spaun on the outside of the cut line, but nevertheless set the tone for a solid 2016 season on the Web.com Tour, where he has notched a pair of top-25 finishes, including a season-best T7 at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by NACHER. He is currently 41st on the Tour’s money list with $33,177 in earnings.

Wilson, an Ohio native, recently joined TPC Wakefield Plantation after moving to Raleigh for his wife’s new job in January. His 64 marked a career-best over the course of 97 career Web.com Tour events. His T8 finish at the 2014 Rex Hospital Open is one of six career top-10s on the Web.com Tour. Despite missed cuts in six of his first seven starts of 2016, Wilson is confident in where his game is headed.

“Ball-striking hasn’t been quite crisp enough and struggled a little bit with the putting,” Wilson said. “I made a few tweaks in my setup with both, and things are trending in the right direction now.”

Yip, the self-taught 31-year-old from Calgary, birdied five of his last six holes to tie his career best. He credited his new coach (the first of his career) and a new pair of Air Jordan 9s that he was wearing for the first time during Thursday’s opening round.

The former Kent State Golden Flash previously posted career-best 64s at the first round of the 2015 Digital Ally Open (T3) and the 2016 Brasil Champions presented by Embrase, where he missed the cut after a second-round 75.

“I’ve been working with my coach back home, found something, got a new pair of shoes and seems to be working,” said Yip, who created the shoes with existing spikes.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Jason Day created a far better memory Thursday than his last round at the TPC Sawgrass. Not only was he 18 shots better, the world’s No. 1 player tied the course record with a 9-under 63 that gave him a two-shot lead in The Players Championship.

In a game that can defy logic, and on a course that can be perplexing, Day had a simple explanation for bouncing back from last year’s 81.

“I’m playing a lot better than I was last year,” he said.

The 28-year-old Australian was in such control that he putted for birdie on every hole and felt so good on the greens that he thought he might make them all. He made nine of them, and his longest par putt was 30 inches.

“Tee to green was pretty decent – was actually really good – and then once I got on the green, I felt like I could hole everything,” he said.

It helped that there was hardly any wind on a steaming morning that made Sawgrass more vulnerable than usual. Day had only the fifth round of 63 at the Stadium Course in the 35 years of The Players Championship, and he still only had a two-shot lead.

Justin Rose, Shane Lowry and Bill Haas were among the five players at 65. Ernie Els, who just last month took six putts from the 3-foot range on the opening hole at the Masters, ran off six birdies and an eagle to lead the group at 66. There were 29 rounds in the 60s among the early starters.

Jordan Spieth did not have one of them.

Spieth, in his first tournament since he lost a five-shot lead on the back nine at Augusta National, played alongside Day and laboured his way to a 72. Spieth, who says he has put the Masters behind him, had another poor finish.

With three straight birdies, he was trying to at least stay in Day’s neighbourhood. Then Spieth made bogeys on two straight holes, answered with a birdie, and then ended his round of 72 with a double bogey by taking five shots to get up-and-down from a bunker behind the green on the par-5 ninth.

“I hit it seven times,” Spieth said. “I hit two fantastic shots, and then not really sure after that.”

Masters champion Danny Willett opened with a 70 in his first competition since slipping on the green jacket.

Rose looked at the pin positions and had a good feeling, especially on the island-green 17th. It was at the front, with a ridge serving as a backboard. By mid-afternoon, only four shots found the water. And with hardly any wind and greens still moderately soft, good scores were available.

“If there was a day to get the course, today was it,” Rose said.

Day wasted no time.

He knocked in a 30-foot putt on his first hole, caught a good break on the par-5 11th by having a clear gap out of the pine trees that set up a birdie from the bunker, and made it three straight birdies with a wedge into 6 feet on the 12th.

He felt tired. But there was no stress.

Day only got into what looked like trouble on two occasions. He had a stick behind his ball from the pine straw on the par-5 second hole and sent that shot well out to the right. But he hit a perfect pitch that just landed on the green and rolled down to a foot for a birdie.

On the seventh, Day’s drive hit the back end of a bunker and kicked forward down a slope and just inside the red hazard line of a pond, about a yard from the water. He worried about his wedge going long, but it settled 15 feet away for a birdie.

That’s when he started thinking about the course record, last match by Martin Kaymer two years ago in the opening round of his victory.

“Then I’m like, ‘OK, I think I can birdie 8 and 9, and that’ll clip the course record.’ It would be nice to shoot 10 under,” he said.

His 40-foot birdie attempt on the par-3 eighth looked good ball the way, and Day began to backpedal as the ball got closer to the cup, a move he first made famous when he won the PGA Championship last year. He threw up his head in disbelief when it caught the right lip, and he tapped in for par.

And then on the par-5 ninth, he hit another great bunker shot that curled back toward the cup and settled inches away for his ninth birdie and a 63, allowing him to join Kaymer, Roberto Castro (2013), Greg Norman (1994) and Fred Couples (1992).

Abbotsford, B.C.’s Nick Tayor was the leading Canadian after 18 holes. He’s 5-under after a 67 and tied for 13th.

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – Golf Canada’s 2016 competitive season will begin with the Pacific edition of the CN Future Links Championships. Hosted at The Dunes at Kamloops Golf Club in Kamloops, B.C., the competition spanning May 13-15 will feature a field of the nation’s top junior-aged golfers.

The CN Future Links Pacific Championship is the first in a series of six junior competitions presented in partnership with CN. The 54-hole stroke play tournament will begin with a practice round on Thursday, May 12 before the competition gets underway. Founded in 1996, The Dunes at Kamloops is an excellent example of the craft and care that are characteristic of course architect Graham Cooke’s designs.

“Golf Canada could not be more pleased to open the 2016 championship season in Kamloops. The CN Future Links Championships are fantastic platforms for Canada’s premier junior golfers to showcase their skills,” said Tournament Director Dan Hyatt. “The Dunes at Kamloops is in tremendous shape and we look forward to seeing this strong field challenge the course.”

Team Canada’s Development Squad will be well-represented at the season-opening event. The National Team contingent will be led by Grace St-Germain of Orleans, Ont., who will be on-hand to defend the 2015 Pacific Championship title she earned at Pheasant Glen Golf Resort in Qualicum Beach, B.C. The 17-year-old will be joined by the four remaining members of the Women’s Squad: British Columbians Hannah Lee (Surrey), Kathrine Chan (Richmond) and Tiffany Kong (Vancouver), as well as Mississauga, Ont., native Chloe Currie.

Four of the five members of the Men’s Development Squad – Tony Gil (Vaughan, Ont.), Alexander Smith (Calgary), Charles-Éric Bélanger (Quebec) and A.J. Ewart (Coquitlam, B.C.) – will attempt to make it two consecutive years in which a National Team player has claimed the Pacific title after Waterloo, Ont., product Trevor Ranton claimed victory last year.

Five additional CN Future Links Championships will span the country this summer:

• May 27-29 – CN Future Links Ontario – Midland, Ont. – Midland Golf & Country Club
• June 3-5 – CN Future Links Québec – Beauceville, Que. – Club de golf Beauceville
• 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 finishers in the Junior Boys division will gain exemptions into the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship to be contested August 1-4 at Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s, N.L. In the case of ties, exemptions will be decided via hole-by-hole playoff. All players within the Top-6, including ties, in the Junior Girls division will each 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.

Prior to the championship on Wednesday, May 11, Golf Canada and Special Olympics Canada will hold a regional competition in promotion of Special Olympics golf. This event will provide a specific focus on the growth and development of a relatively new branch of the sport. A field of 24 local athletes will compete over nine holes. Following the event, a PGA of Canada professional will conduct a Special Olympics coaches and athletes clinic to review the morning’s key learnings.

Additional information regarding the 2016 CN Future Links Pacific Championship, including participants, start times and up-to-date results can be found here.

TORONTO – Alena Sharp tried not to think about the Rio Olympics last year when she was among a pack of players in the mix for one of two spots on the Canadian women’s team.

Since then she has raised her game and her ranking, making herself a virtual lock to be named to the squad this summer along with world No. 5 Brooke Henderson.

“I just kept on it and played really well last year and distanced myself,” Sharp said.

The 35-year-old Hamilton native made 21 of 26 cuts last year. She had two top-10 finishes and was 65th on the money list, her highest position since 2010.

Sharp is off to a decent start again this year, posting her best result of the season last week at the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic with a tie for 22nd place. She’s currently 121st in the world rankings but holds the No. 37 position in the Olympic rankings of eligible golfers for the 60-player field.

Sharp’s excitement level about the Games has been on a steady rise of late, stoked by her steady play and the regular Olympic commercials she sees on television. She was on hand Wednesday at Lambton Golf and Country Club as Golf Canada unveiled the national team uniforms for the Rio Games.

“It’s just more of a realization,” Sharp said. “To represent Canada and wear the red and white and to see these uniforms today, it’s an amazing dream that’s going to come true.”

Sharp’s game appears well-suited for the Olympic Golf Course in Rio’s Barra da Tijuca district. The 18-hole course will be 6,500 yards for the Aug. 17-20 women’s competition, which should give a big hitter like Sharp an edge.

“She’s been one of the longer players for a long time,” said Canadian women’s team coach Tristan Mullally. “It’s a golf course that will require some precision off the tee but you’ve also got to be long enough to give yourself chances. The par fives are long and the par fours, you’re going to be hitting a long fairway wood in. So that gives her an advantage. It’s certainly going to be super-windy.

“We’ve worked with her game over the last nine months (to a year) _ not necessarily for the wind, but just in general _ (to) try to be a little more solid and have some more variety with shots. That’s going to play when it is windy.”

Sharp plans to take next week off before playing in eight tournaments in a row, capped by the Women’s British Open near London in late July. The windy conditions there should help ahead of Rio as well.

“I’ve done well in the wind this year and in the past I haven’t,” she said. “So I already see my game suiting it.”

Sharp is 25th on the LPGA Tour in driving distance with an average of 265.56 yards.

“I think looking ahead she’s starting to see how good her game is,” Mullally said. “She’s almost been under-achieving up until now.

“I’m excited to see where she goes.”

Sharp and Henderson – who’s expected to be a medal contender – essentially have the women’s spots nailed down. The two men’s spots could go down to the wire in early July with several players in the mix.

“Everybody knows about the Olympics,” Sharp said. “Maybe not everybody knows about golf’s majors because they don’t follow golf. But everybody knows about the Olympics and I think it’s a huge thing to be a part of. It’s something on my resume. No one can ever take that away from me. When I’m older, I can say I was an Olympian.

“To go there and do well and to possibly win a medal, that would be something that would be huge on my bucket list and obviously one of the biggest accomplishments I could probably ever have.”

TORONTO – Today, Golf Canada and Hudson’s Bay Company unveiled the uniform that Team Canada golfers will wear when golf makes its historic return to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Unmistakably Canadian with an inspiration that balances tradition, style and strength, the scripting will feature the Canadian Olympic Team mark along with the iconic red Maple Leaf that Canadian athletes have proudly donned in international competition.

“We are excited to partner with Hudson’s Bay in outfitting our Team Canada golfers this summer in Rio de Janeiro,” said Scott Simmons, CEO of Golf Canada. “Golf’s return to the Olympic Games represents an exciting time for our sport both domestically in Canada and globally. With less than 100 days until the start of the golf competition, the momentum is building and there will be an incredible sense of pride to see our Team Canada golfers don the maple leaf during the 2016 Olympic Games.”

The release of the clothing that will adorn Canada’s four athletes—two men and two women—in Rio is specifically logoed to comply with regulations set out by the International Olympic Committee and International Golf Federation.

Canada is proud to enter the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro as the ‘defending golf champion’ when the sport makes its long-awaited return to the Olympic stage following a 112-year hiatus. Canadian George S. Lyon of Toronto, an honoured member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame—made history at the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis, Missouri when at the age of 46 he captured Olympic gold—the last time the sport was featured in Olympic competition.

“We are thrilled to be the official outfitter for Golf Canada’s National Team and excited to dress our athletes on the field of play during a competition for the first time”, said Liz Rodbell, President, Hudson’s Bay.  “Hudson’s Bay is dedicated to supporting Canada’s up and coming golfers competing on the international stage and has committed to 10% of sales proceeds from the Golf Canada collection to support the national team program.”

Golf fans looking to cheer on Team Canada can purchase a collection of polos, T’s, jackets, pants, shorts and more at Hudson’s Bay stores across Canada and online at thebay.com. Prices range from $29.99 – $99.99.

A field of 120 golfers—60 men and 60 women—will be selected for the Olympic golf competition based on the World Golf Rankings as of July 11, 2016.

The golf program for the 2016 Olympic Games gets underway on August 11 with the men’s competition running August 11-14 followed by the women’s competition August 17-20.

DUNROBIN, Ont. – Canada’s Brooke Henderson is finally getting to enjoy some quality time at home after a whirlwind start to her 2016 golf season.

Her first full campaign with full-time status on the LPGA Tour has been a busy one and the Smiths Falls, Ont., native has shown her rookie season was no fluke.

Henderson has picked up where she left off last year, finishing in the top 10 at eight of the 11 events she has entered this season. She has risen to fifth in the world rankings and is ninth on the money list.

Not bad for someone still four months shy of her 19th birthday.

“I’m playing really well but I know I have big goals and big dreams ahead of me,” Henderson said. “I’m still pushing to be that little bit better.”

Henderson was back in the Ottawa area on Tuesday with her sister Brittany for an appearance at the Kevin Haime Kids to the Course Classic at Eagle Creek Golf Club.

It was her first trip home since Christmas Day.

“It’s really nice to see everybody and be back home in Smiths Falls and sleep in my own bed,” Henderson said.

She plans to relax at her family cottage later this week before getting ready for the May 19-22 Kingsmill Championship in Williamsburg, Va. That will kick off another busy run of nine tournaments in a row for the 2015 Canadian Press female athlete of the year.

Henderson is planning to play over 30 tournaments in 2016 and is a virtual lock to be named to the Canadian team that will participate at the Rio Games in August. Right now she’s focused on maintaining her consistent play and continuing her push to reach the top spot in the world rankings.

Henderson became the third-youngest winner in LPGA Tour history last summer when she won the Cambia Portland Classic by eight shots. She was immediately given full Tour membership after the victory.

After rising over 200 spots in the world rankings, she set a pre-season goal of reaching the top 10 and improving her consistency around the greens.

Her top result this season was a second-place showing in early February at the Coates Golf Championship. That kicked off a run of eight straight top-10 finishes.

Consistency has been key to her strong play. Henderson is fifth in scoring average (70.02), 14th in average driving distance (268.36 yards) and 25th in putting average (29.55 putts per round).

She has strayed wide of the fairway at times (108th in driving accuracy at 66.01 per cent) but is 13th in greens in regulation (74.37 per cent).

“I’ve definitely had a really good start and my game is in a good place,” Henderson said. “I definitely have small improvements that I want to make just to become a little bit better.”

The Summer Games will be like a sixth major this season. Henderson said she’s still stunned that she’ll get to enjoy the Olympic experience and represent her country.

“It’s kind of both ways,” she said. “Sometimes it’s really surreal, and other times it’s like, ‘You know what, I can go and win there.”’

Henderson added she feels more mature now and is getting used to the extra attention from fans and media. She’s trying to take it all in and really enjoy the experience.

“It’s gone by super fast,” she said. “I’ve been able to travel all around the world and go see a ton of different places and play a lot of really good golf on a lot of really good golf courses. So it’s been a lot of fun.

“I’m definitely living the dream. But it’s nice to back home.”