KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – South Korea’s Lee Soo-min put on a sizzling display with his irons to top the Maybank Championship Malaysia leaderboard on Saturday, opening a three-shot lead over closest rival Marcus Fraser after the third round.

Lee fired home nine birdies, including four in a row on the back nine, for a 7-under 64 to move to a total of 15-under 198 at Royal Selangor Golf Club.

Fraser had a 66 to be outright second, a stroke ahead of Australian compatriot and second-round leader Nathan Holman, who struggled with four birdies and a double bogey en route to a 73.

Lee, ranked 221 in the world, last won a title at the Gunsan CC Open on the Korean Tour last year.

“I had a good feeling this week because I like this course,” Lee said. “I hit many important iron shots and gained some confidence on the greens. I am a bit nervous thinking of the final round but I will try my best. This weekend will be very good for my golf life.”

Fraser is chasing his first title on the Asian and European Tour in six years.

“Probably somewhere round the 18-under mark will win it, depending on what the leader does tomorrow,” Fraser said. “There are a few guys stacked in behind him, so we’ll see what the final day brings.”

The trio of Masahiro Kawamura, Jorge Campillo and Miguel Tabuena trail Lee by five shots in a tie for fourth.

Tabuena, who won the Philippine Open last year intends to use his success on home soil as platform for a grandstand finish.

“Winning against the best in Asia really boosted my confidence. It showed that that I can compete against the finest and hopefully I can make some clutch putts tomorrow to win,” Tabuena said.

Malaysian Open champion Thongchai Jaidee was struck by illness and pulled out of the tournament, which is co-sanctioned by the Asian and European Tours.

ADELAIDE, Australia – American Danielle Kang shot a 5-under 67 on Saturday to move into a share of the third-round lead with South Korea’s Jenny Shin and Haru Nomura of Japan at the Women’s Australian Open.

Leading contenders Lydia Ko and Karrie Webb were just one stroke off the lead at The Grange’s West course.

Kang, the 2010 and 2011 U.S. Amateur champion, is chasing her first win on the LPGA Tour. She was at 9-under 207 along with Shin and Nomura, who each had 70s.

Tied for fourth were defending champion and No. 1-ranked Ko with a 68 and five-time champion Webb after a 70.

Catriona Matthew, the 46-year-old Scot who was tied for the lead after two rounds, shot a 73 and was 7-under, two strokes off the lead.

Smiths Falls, Ont., product Brooke Henderson posted a 73 and sits T30. Fellow Ontarian Alena Sharp of Hamilton carded a 70 to reach even-par for a share of 40th.

LOS ANGELES – Rory McIlroy was leaving the scoring area when he looked over at a TV screen that was showing highlights of his round.

There were a couple of three-putt bogeys (one from just off the green) to go along with five birdies in his round of 2-under 69 that left him satisfied. It wasn’t his best, though he still was only four shots behind Jason Kokrak. Right before leaving the room, Golf Channel posted a chart that showed McIlroy has more comeback victories (six) after 36 holes than anyone since 2010.

“There you go,” McIlroy said with a smile. “That’s a good stat.”

That’s how the weekend is shaping up at Riviera. Kokrak birdied all the par 5s with his power and shot 7-under 64 to build a one-shot lead over Chez Reavie, who had a 67. Kokrak will be going for his first PGA Tour victory, which looks to be a long way off considering the tournament is only at the halfway point.

Even with Jordan Spieth missing the cut, there is plenty of star power – and simply power – lined up behind Kokrak.

Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson were two shots behind. The large group four shots back included McIlroy, Adam Scott, Hideki Matsuyama and Charl Schwartzel, a winner last week in South Africa. Watson won at Riviera two years ago. Johnson has been runner-up each of the last two years.

Watson made the cut with two shots to spare in 2014 and then went 64-64 on the weekend. That’s one indication that anything goes on the weekend off Sunset Boulevard. And it’s an indication that Watson is pretty good.

Kokrak is a month away from the one-year anniversary of his last top 10 on the PGA Tour, but he took a lot out of the 67-69 finish he had last weekend at Pebble Beach. He was hitting the ball well. He sensed something good about to happen.

“The way I hit it on Saturday, Sunday at Pebble, I can definitely see something special coming,” he said. “But I just put myself in position, just like I’m going to try to do the next couple days and see what happens.”

It’s hard to call Riviera “Dustin Johnson’s Alley” when he’s never even won at the course (Ben Hogan won three times in two years, including a U.S. Open) but it clearly is one of his better courses for reasons he can’t explain except that it fits his eye. He has finished no worse than fourth in four of the eight previous times he has played, and he has more rounds at 67 or better (10) than anyone since he started playing.

And he might finally be shaking off the rust from taking nearly a month off in December, and not playing at all in the two weeks between Kapalua and Torrey Pines, and the one week before Pebble Beach.

Asked what he does in his spare time when he’s not playing golf, Johnson replied, “There’s a lot of things you can do other than golf. I do them all.”

Let’s move along.

Lanny Wadkins said when he set the scoring record of 20-under 264 at Riviera in 1985 that he played the final round with the goal of not having anything worse than a 4 on his card. Schwartzel couldn’t relate to that on Friday.

He had a 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and a 7.

And he still shot 68 and was four behind.

He had a double bogey on No. 10 from a plugged lie in the bunker (even clean lies are hard in the bunkers on No. 10). And he made a triple bogey on No. 2 when he was trying to chip out from a boundary fence and the ball hit him in the hand, costing him one shot. He also missed a 3-foot putt. Both irritated him. Between those two holes, which he described as “unfortunate,” he made seven birdies and an eagle. So that was fortunate.

Justin Leonard came in from the snow to post his best 36-hole start in 19 years at Riviera (67-69).

He moved from Dallas to Colorado last year with his wife and four children and loves it. Leonard said his psychologist told him he needed to start working harder and practicing more. “So I moved to Colorado so I can’t practice,” he said.

He is playing a limited schedule this year, wanting to play 10 or 12 events. He narrowed it down to the courses that make him excited.

Riviera makes him excited. Especially this year.

Charlie Danielson gets to wait before going back to school. A 22-year-old senior at Illinois, Danielson earned a spot in his first PGA Tour event through a college qualifier on Monday. He opened with a 67 and easily made the cut on Friday with a 72. He was seven shots out of the lead and guaranteed two more days at Riviera.

A pair of Abbotsford, B.C., natives lead the Canadian the contingent. A 3-under 68 performance propelled Nick Taylor into a tie for 22nd place, while Adam Hadwin posted a second consecutive 70 to sit T38.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Australia’s Nathan Holman shot a 6-under 65 on Friday to take a two-stroke lead after the second round of the Maybank Championship Malaysia at the Royal Selangor Golf Club.

Holman, who had an opening round of 64, had seven birdies to reach 13-under at the halfway mark. Richard Bland of England also shot 65 on Friday to stay within two shots of the lead.

England’s Danny Willett was among a group of golfers trailing Holman by five shots.

“I am enjoying the lead,” Holman said. “It is why we play the game, to get ourselves in front and with a chance of winning big tournaments. I’d like to be even further ahead if I could.”

Bland, whose only title came at the Challenge Tour Grand Final in 2001, attributed a change in driver to his strong showing.

“It has added 15 yards to my drives,” he said. “When you got a shorter club in your hand, you can be a bit more aggressive. I am pleased with my round, to get two rounds without dropping a shot takes some doing. Nathan’s playing well, so I’m going to have to keep making birdies just to keep up.”

The inaugural tournament, co-sanctioned by the Asian and European Tour and offering $3 million in prize money, was also highlighted by Casey O’Toole’s 193-yard hole-in-one on the 12th.

“I didn’t see it go in, but when I heard the yells I realized what had happened,” he said. “It’s my first in competition. I’ve had four or five in practice, so this is the first that really counts.”

Martin Kaymer, whose 73 left him at 2-over, was among those who missed the cut. Toronto’s Richard T. Lee was 1-over on the day.

ADELAIDE, Australia – England’s Holly Clyburn shot a 7-under 65 Friday to take a share of the second-round lead with 46-year-old Scottish golfer Catriona Matthew at the Women’s Australian Open.

Clyburn and 1996 champion Matthew (69) had 36-hole totals of 8-under 136 on The Grange’s West course.

They held a one-stroke lead over four players – Germany’s Caroline Masson, who shot 71, China’s Lin Xiyu (67), South Korea’s Jenny Shin (70) and Haru Nomura of Japan (68).

“I think that’s the beauty of golf, you know you can play, it doesn’t matter what your age is really as long as you can still hit the golf ball and get it in the hole,” Matthew said. “Age isn’t a barrier.”

Jack Nicklaus, who won his sixth Masters title at Augusta in 1986 at the age of 46 – the last of his record 18 majors – agreed. He took the time to send a tweet to Matthew following her round Friday.

“Hang in there and don’t give up, finish strong! Everyone wrote me off at 46!” Nicklaus said on Twitter.

Two strokes behind the leaders and in seventh place after a 71 was five-time champion Karrie Webb. She had a 67 Thursday.

“It was a bit scratchier today. I wasn’t as sharp with my iron play,” Webb said. “I still hit 14 greens but didn’t have a lot of decent looks at birdies. I just really hung in there.”

Canadian-based South Korean SooBin Kim, the first-round leader who shot a course-record 63 on Thursday, bogeyed five of her final seven holes Friday for a 77 and fell to 4-under, tied in a group four behind the leaders.

Top-ranked and defending champion Lydia Ko, who won last week’s New Zealand Women’s Open, had a second consecutive 70 and was also at 4-under.

“I feel like I’m in a good position. I reckon I could have cut a few more shots down but at the same time I think could have gone higher, so it all balances out,” Ko said. “But being a couple or a few shots behind isn’t a bad position.”

Canadian Brooke Henderson shot 71 Friday and was at 3-under, five strokes behind. There were 20 golfers within four shots of the lead.

Cheyenne Woods had a 78 and was at 4-over and missed the cut, as did former champion Laura Davies after a 76 to finish at 10-under.

Clyburn, winner of last year’s New South Wales Open, began her round with an eagle and three birdies in her first five holes.

“I was loving it, really,” Clyburn said. “I have been waiting for this round for a long time.”

In October 2014, Clyburn was well-placed in the second stage of LPGA qualifying but was disqualified when her playing partner failed to sign her scorecard.

“Probably what happened 14, 15 months ago was for the best, I don’t know,” Clyburn said. It’s her second start on the LPGA Tour.

Matthew won the Australian Open 20 years ago at Yarra Yarra in Melbourne and, among other wins, added two majors – the Women’s British Open title in 2009 and the LPGA Championship in 2013.

With her husband, Graeme on the bag – he’s been her caddie for 16 years – the Scottish player has hit 16 greens in each of her first two rounds, including a 67 Thursday in tougher afternoon conditions.

“It’s tricky if you start missing the greens out here, it’s not easy up and down,” Matthew said.

The tournament is also sanctioned by the Australian Women’s and Ladies European tours.

Alena Sharp of Hamilont, Ont., sits tied for 66th following a round of 75.

LOS ANGELES – Camilo Villegas hasn’t make a cut all year and has only broken 70 one time in four previous trips to Riviera, so it was mildly surprising to see him with an 8-under 63 to build a three-shot lead Thursday in the Northern Trust Open.

That wasn’t the biggest surprise.

One spot from the bottom of the leaderboard was Jordan Spieth, the world’s No. 1 player who shot an 8-over 79 on one of his favorite courses. It was his worst start ever as a pro, and his highest score since an 80 in the third round of the 2014 Tour Championship.

“In the course of a career, I imagine it’s going to happen,” Spieth said. “Just unfortunate when it actually does.”

And there was one more surprise for everyone. Riviera, which played so fearsome during the practice rounds under a hot sun, was softer than usual after a steady overnight rain that never cleared until moments before the first round began.

Spieth said he couldn’t trust how the course was playing. Villegas also was stunned when he heard players from the morning round talk about 4-irons stopping on the green, instead of taking a hard bounce.

“You don’t really shoot 8 under around this place not playing good,” Villegas said. “Obviously, the rain yesterday made the golf course a lot more accessible.”

Bubba Watson, who won at Riviera two years ago with a 64-64 weekend, opened with a 66 along with Chez Reavie and Luke List.

Rory McIlroy, making his first PGA Tour start this year and his debut at Riviera, opened with two quick birdies and added two more on the front nine for a 67. He was in a large group that included 22-year-old Charlie Danielson, the Illinois senior who earned a spot in his first PGA Tour event by winning a collegiate qualifier on Monday.

“I just went out and tried to enjoy the day,” Danielson said. “I had no idea if I would shoot 80 or 66, so I just went out with no expectations and it worked out.”

Spieth didn’t have any expectations of a 79 – or worse. Still to be determined is whether his ball moved before hitting a chip on the ninth green. Spieth asked rules officials to review the video. He said he was fairly certain it didn’t move, but wanted to be sure. A decision was not expected until Friday morning. It would be a one-shot penalty under Rule 18-2 if the ball did move.

That was the least of his worries. The round got away from him on the back nine when he kept missing greens and leaving himself short par putts that are difficult on poa greens in the afternoon. Spieth dropped six shots over the last seven holes, including a three-putt double bogey from 8 feet on the 18th.

“I’m not throwing this tournament away,” Spieth said. “I’m not packing it in by any means.”

Only one other player in the 144-man field shot worse than Spieth. The Masters and U.S. Open champion was the last man on the practice range Thursday night when the first round was suspended by darkness. Fourteen players did not finish the round.

Villegas didn’t want it to end.

He opened with a pitch to tap-in range for birdie on No. 10, far less fearsome with slightly softer conditions. But his round really took off on the front nine when he ran off four straight birdies starting at No. 5 when he holed a 25-foot birdie putt. He hit his tee shot to 3 feet on the par-3 sixth, and holed a pair of 15-foot putts on the next two holes. Villegas needed one more birdie at No. 9 to match the course record of 61 that Ted Tryba set in 1999.

He missed the green to the right and chipped to 4 feet, missing the par putt and settling for a 63.

“I got on fire there for a little stretch,” he said. “And obviously, a little mishap on the last hole. But man, I thought I made the chip, too. It was a good day out there. Fun.”

McIlroy started birdie-birdie, and his lone mistake was a tee shot into a deep bunker on No. 15, leaving him no chance at reaching the green. Even so, he was happy to take advantage of the conditions.

“Put myself out of position a couple of times, but with the way the conditions of the golf course were, it didn’t punish you as bad as if it would have been as firm as it was the last couple of days,” McIlroy said.

Villegas figured it out quickly and played more aggressively, going at pins instead of planning for a big bounce.

“I would say I was a little surprised with my 8 under to be honest. This is a golf course where it’s not easy to shoot 8 under,” Villegas said. “I didn’t know Jordan shot 8 (over), but obviously he must have had a bad day. But again, everybody has bad days in this sport, man.”

Abbotsford, B.C., natives Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin opened with matching 1-under 70s to sit T39. David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., was 3-over 74 on the day, while Graham DeLaet from Weyburn, Sask., shot 4-over.

BEAUMONT, Calif. – Ten Canadians are set to kick-off the Symetra Tour’s 2016 season this Friday with the IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort and Spa.

Headlining the Canucks is Young Pro Squad member Augusta James of Bath, Ont., who was the top-ranked Canadian on last year’s Volvik Race to the Card money list at No. 12 ($53,077). Fellow Young Pro Squad member Sue Kim of Langley, B.C. will be chasing her third Symetra Tour title—she won last year’s Florida’s Natural Charity Classic by three strokes.

The 54-hole event consists of 106 professionals and two amateurs competing for a purse of $100,000. At the end of the 23-event season, the Top-10 athletes on the final money list will earn LPGA Tour membership for 2017.

Many Team Canada graduates will look to make their mark on the new season, including: Sara-Maude Juneau (Fossambault, Que.), Jennifer Kirby (Paris, Ont.), Rebecca Lee-Bentham (Richmond Hill, Ont.), Brittany Marchand (Orangeville, Ont.), Anne-Catherine Tanguay (Québec, Que.) and Jessica Wallace (Langley, B.C.).

The action will begin at 7:15 a.m. (PST) on Friday and will return to the Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon. In the 2015 event, American Katie Kempter rallied with birdies on her final three holes to capture her first professional victory.

Friday’s tee-times of all Canadians in the field are listed below:

• 7:48 a.m (Tee #1). – Anne-Catherine Tanguay
• 7:59 a.m. (Tee #10) – Sue Kim
• 8:10 a.m. (Tee #10) – Sara-Maude Juneau
• 8:32 a.m. (Tee #1) – Jennifer Kirby
• 11:30 a.m. (Tee #10) – Megan Osland
• 11:52 a.m. (Tee #10) – Rebecca Lee-Bentham
• 12:14 p.m. (Tee #10) – Augusta James
• 12:36 p.m. (Tee #1) – Samantha Richdale
• 12:36 p.m. (Tee #10) – Jessica Wallace
• 12:58 p.m. (Tee #10) – Brittany Marchand

Click here for live scoring.

ADELAIDE, Australia – Canadian-based South Korean SooBin Kim shot a course-record 9-under 63 on Thursday to leave top-ranked Lydia Ko and Canadian sweetheart Brooke Henderson seven strokes behind at the Women’s Australian Open.

Kim’s bogey-free opening round came after starting on the 10th hole of The Grange’s West course. She had a three-stroke clubhouse lead over American Casey Grice with most of the afternoon groups, including five-time champion Karrie Webb, on the course.

P.K. Kongkraphan of Thailand, Jenny Shin and amateur Choi Hye-jin had 67s and were tied for third among the early finishers.

Ko, who won last year’s title at Royal Melbourne, bogeyed two holes on her first nine after starting on the 10th, but the New Zealander had three birdies on the back nine for her 70.

“I’ll take it,” Ko said. “I hit two really loose shots where it was hard to put myself in position the next time but overall I played pretty solid … not many putts dropped.”

Kim, who moved to Canada from South Korea with her family when she was 10 and is based in Langley, B.C., birdied seven of her first 12 holes.

Ranked 256th in the world, Kim was playing her first LPGA tournament round this year because her low ranking failed to gain her direct entry into the initial two LPGA events in the Bahamas and Florida.

Kim, who eclipsed the previous women’s course record of 66 shot by Australian Nadina Taylor at an amateur event in 2000, had 26 putts in what she described as “one of those days.”

“I was just picking my line and rolling them in, let the ball do the rest,” the 22-year-old Kim said. “I was pretty ready for it, so (I am) not surprised.”

Kim has not made up her mind whether to become a Canadian citizen. She has had the same coach, Brian Jung, for nine years and was part of British Columbia Golf’s player development program.

“I was definitely thinking about it but I still haven’t got the citizenship yet, still deciding,” Kim said. “Most of the Koreans they want their kids to learn English, so that was the reason I moved to Canada. And then golf followed after that …”

The tournament is also sanctioned by the Australian Ladies and Ladies European Tour.

Golf Canada is pleased to announce its competition schedule including host clubs and dates for the 2016 championship season.

A total of 24 professional and amateur championships, as well as qualifying events into Canada’s two National Open Championships – the RBC Canadian Open and the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open – will be conducted in 2016.

“Each year, nearly 3,000 talented Canadian and international golfers come together at many of Canada’s premier golf facilities in the spirit of competition and camaraderie to challenge for a Canadian national golf championship,” said Golf Canada CEO Scott Simmons. “It is Golf Canada’s privilege to conduct these championships in partnership with our host venues, committed sponsors and thousands of dedicated volunteers from coast to coast. We are proud that these championships are providing athletes with an opportunity for meaningful competition and the chance to add their names to Canada’s storied golf history.”

Golf Canada’s complete 2016 championship schedule as well as registration information can be found here.

Championship Notes:

Golf Canada’s championship season kicks off with the CN Future Links Pacific Championship, May 13-15, at The Dunes at Kamloops Golf Club in Kamloops, B.C. The event is the first in a series of six regional junior competitions presented by CN that in 2016 will see tournament fields expanded to include 120 players – 87 boys and 33 girls.

The 14^th playing of the Canadian University/College Championship will be conducted from May 31 to June 3 at Morningstar Golf Club in Parksville, B.C. The championship will be the first of eight national amateur competitions being contested in 2016.

Beginning in late July, Atlantic Canada will host a trio of competitions: the 103^rd Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship (Ken-Wo Golf Club in New Minas, N.S.), as well as the 78^th Canadian Junior Boys (Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s, N.L.) and 62^nd Junior Girls Championships (The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, N.S.).

The 2016 edition of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship will return to its roots for its 112^th playing. The Royal Ottawa Golf Club in Gatineau, Que. – which staged the competition’s first playing in 1895 – will host the world’s third oldest amateur championship from August 8-11 alongside co-host Eagle Creek Golf Club located in Dunrobin, Ont. This will mark the first occasion on which one of Canada’s national amateur championships will be played concurrently in two provinces.

A two-stage qualifying procedure for the 2016 RBC Canadian Open will feature a trio of regional qualifying competitions in British Columbia (Bear Mountain Golf Resort in Victoria on May 30), Ontario (DiamondBack Golf Club in Richmond Hill on June 6) and Quebec (Club de golf de la Vallée du Richelieu in Sainte-Julie on June 6). The final qualifying event will be held at Heron Point Golf Links in Ancaster, Ont., on July 18.

For the 28^th time in the 107-year history of Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship, Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., will play host to the RBC Canadian Open from July 18-24. In 2015, Australian Jason Day was crowned champion, edging out Brantford, Ont., native David Hearn, who held the 54-hole head before finishing third.

On Saturday, July 16, prior to the start of the 2016 RBC Canadian Open, Glen Abbey will also open its fairways to junior competitors for the 8^th annual CN Future Links Junior Skills Challenge National Event.

Late August will see the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur and Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur & Senior Championships hosted at Golf Château-Bromont in Bromont, Que., and Wolf Creek Golf Resort in Ponoka, Alta., respectively.

The 2016 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, set for August 22-28 at Priddis Greens Golf and Country Club in Priddis, Alta., will be conducted the week following golf’s return to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Three-time winner and defending champion Lydia Ko will lead the stars of the LPGA Tour back to the Calgary area as Priddis Greens plays host to the championship for the third time (1999 and 2009). The tournament’s Monday Qualifier will take place at The Hamptons Golf Club in Calgary on August 22.

Golf Canada has also confirmed that the Canadian Women’s Tour events will not be played in 2016 and that the Tour has been put on an indeterminate hiatus due to a lack of title or presenting sponsor. The player exemptions into the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open that have traditionally been awarded via the Tour will be reallocated by Golf Canada at a later date. The champion of the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada will continue to earn an exemption into Canada’s premier LPGA event.

Grand Niagara Golf Club in Niagara Falls, Ont., will host the 54^th Canadian Men’s Senior Championship from September 6-9 with the addition of a Sunday Qualifier this season. The minimum age of eligibility for the Super Senior division has been lowered from 70 to 65.

The Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru National Event will take to Burlington Golf & Country Club in Burlington, Ont., on September 12.  The one day event is a celebration of the success of all Golf Fore the Cure events held nationwide during the 2016 season. To date, the program’s fundraising efforts have totaled more than $5.4 million towards breast cancer research.

Highland Country Club in London, Ont., will set the stage for the 2016 Freedom 55 Financial Championship from September 12-18. Golf Canada is proud to serve as the organizing body for the season-ending event on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada.

As the National Sports Federation and governing body of golf in Canada, Golf Canada conducts the country’s premier amateur and professional golf championships as part of its mandate to promote the sport and aid in the development of the nation’s world-class talent.