Four more Canucks have advanced to the final stage of Web.com Tour Q-School on Friday, playing at two locations in the U.S.

Lucas Kim was the low scorer for the Canadians, carding 11-under thru 72 holes to finish alone in third place at the Plantation Preserve Golf Course & Club in Plantation, Fla. Just sneaking inside the cut line was Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., who posted a 3-under score to finish T20.

In California, Calgary’s Ryan Yip finished at 8-under (69-69-70-72) to finish in a tie for fifth. Not far behind was Matt McQuillan of Kingston, Ont., who carded a total score of 5-under (69-71-70-73) to finish T15.

The foursome will join Mackenzie Hughes (Dundas, Ont.), Chris Ross (Dundas, Ont.), Devin Carrey (Burnaby, B.C.) and Cam Burke (New Hamburg, Ont.) as the eight Canadians to advance from stage II to the final stage of Qualifying School from Dec. 10–13 at PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Team Canada Young Pro Squad members Albin Choi (Toronto) and Adam Svensson (Surrey, B.C.) had already punched their tickets to the final stage, along with Kevin Spooner (Vancouver), Eugene Wong (Vancouver), Wilson Bateman (Edmonton) and Justin Shin (Pitt Meadows, B.C.).

Taylor Pendrith (Richmond Hill, Ont.)—also on the Young Pro Squad—earned status already by finishing inside the top-five on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada.

Similar to all events on the Web.com Tour schedule, the finals will be contested over 72 holes.

All players who make it to the final stage of the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament will earn at least conditional status on Tour in 2016.

Click here for full scoring from 2015 Web.com Tour Q School.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Kevin Chappell holed a 45-yard bunker shot for eagle on his way to a 5-under 65 and a one-shot lead in the RSM Classic at Sea Island.

Chappell was trying to make sure his bunker shot reached the back of the green for a chance at birdie. It worked out perfectly at the par-5 15th on the Seaside Course.

Chappell was at 11-under 131 and one shot ahead of Kevin Kisner, who had a 67 at Seaside, and Freddie Jacobson, who had a 5-under 67 on the Plantation Course.

Dru Love, the 21-year-old son of Davis Love III, made his PGA Tour debut a short one. The junior at Alabama was 3 under until playing the final seven holes in 7 over. He shot 76 and missed the cut.

Canada’s David Hearn was T13 at 6 under after a 72. Compatriots Adam Svensson and Austin Connelly failed to make the 36 hole cut.

NAPLES, Fla. – Everyone in the CME Group Tour Championship is playing for something.

Lydia Ko and Inbee Park are playing to win the LPGA’s biggest season-ending awards. There’s a group playing for a $1 million bonus. Some are playing to build momentum for 2016.

And then there’s Karine Icher. She’s playing for France.

Icher – the lone French player in the 71-woman field – shot a 5-under 67 on Friday in the second round of the LPGA’s season-finale, giving her a 36-hole total of 138 that has her within four shots of the lead. Icher has friends who knew some of the 130 people killed last week in Paris, when extremists attacked a concert hall, a soccer stadium and cafes and restaurants.

“France is in a difficult time right now,” Icher said. “All we can do is just think of them, pray for them and that’s it. It’s really sad, but unfortunately I think it’s only the beginning and it’s really scary. Especially for us, we travel all over the world and it can happen anywhere, any time. It’s just like being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and you’re dead.”

South Korea’s Ha Na Jang shot 65 to get to 10-under 134 and hold the midpoint lead by two shots over world No. 1 Lydia Ko (67) of New Zealand. Americans Jennifer Song (69) and Cristie Kerr (69) were another shot off the pace, and Icher was in a group that also included Gerina Piller (70) and Brittany Lincicome (70) of the U.S. in a tie for fifth at 6 under.

“It’s a really good score, 65,” Jang said. “So I feel really good.”

Icher is from Chateauroux, about two hours south of Paris. She had visited some of the places that were targeted by the extremists, presumably members of the Islamic State group that has claimed responsibility for the attacks. Her husband was watching the France-Germany soccer match, which was taking place as the chaos began, on television.

Her friends and family, she said, are safe. Friends of friends were not so fortunate. And golf, she said, has been a needed sanctuary.

“When you’re on the golf course, you’re at work,” Icher said. “You try to forget everything else, you try to focus on your game and you’re 100 percent there.”

She’s 100 percent in the mix going into the weekend.

Jang leads the tournament, getting the top spot outright when Ko made double-bogey and bogey on consecutive holes late in her round. Still, Ko is in control of all the big year-end prizes that she’s chasing – like the LPGA’s scoring title, player of the year, a $1 million bonus for winning the “Race to CME Globe” and ensuring that she’ll finish the year with the No. 1 ranking.

“I still played pretty solidly,” Ko said. “So I’m happy.”

For Inbee Park, who’s battling Ko for all those big prizes, there was progress. Even after closing with a three-putt bogey and lamenting her lack of luck on Bermuda greens, she still shot 69 for her best score at Tiburon since 2013.

Ko has the edge going into the weekend in their head-to-head contest, but Friday may give Park reason for hope.

“I know she played well yesterday as well,” Park said. “She seems like she really likes this golf course. I’ve got to start liking it a little bit more for tomorrow.”

Jang shot the round of the day, with eight birdies and one bogey. Minjee Lee shot 66 and Icher had one of four 67s, along with Ko, Japan’s Ai Miyazato and Danielle Kang of the U.S.

Icher isn’t planning to return to France anytime soon. It’s not because of the attacks, but simply that she and her family spend the offseason at their Orlando, Florida, home.

Still, it’s clear what a win would mean this week.

“It would be nice,” Icher said, “just for France.”

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Race to Dubai leader Rory McIlroy achieved separation from main rival Danny Willett by two shots in the second round of the European Tour season finale on Friday.

McIlroy, bidding to top the tour for the third time in four years, carded consecutive 68s to be at 8-under-par 136, four off Andy Sullivan’s lead in the World Tour Championship.

On a day when most players went low, McIlroy could only match his opening round, including five birdies, and one bogey on the par-3 6th. He birdied only one of the four par 5s at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

“Two solid rounds of golf so far,” McIlroy said. “I felt like yesterday it could have been a lot better. And today, I felt like I hit the ball a little better. It wasn’t quite as scrappy.

“I don’t think I’ve taken advantage of the par 5s quite the way I would have liked to, but if I can do that over the next couple of days, and keep giving myself plenty of chances, I should be close on Sunday.”

Meanwhile, Willett, tied with McIlroy in the first round, shot a 2-under 70. The Englishman started well with birdies on Nos. 2-3, but bogeyed No. 5, and No. 16 immediately after a birdie on 15. He needed to hole a 15-footer for par on the last and keep his hopes alive.

Sullivan shot a second straight 66 to be at 12-under 132 for a one-shot lead over the equally in-form Emiliano Grillo, who posted the low round of the day, a bogey-free 8-under 64.

Sullivan has won three European Tour events this season – South African Open, Joburg Open, Portugal Masters – and was being cheered on here by 30 friends and relatives who have travelled from his hometown of Nuneaton, England.

He treated them to some stunning putts; a 50-footer for birdie on the 12th, one from nearly 30 feet on the 14th, and a 40-fooer from behind the 18th green.

“The putter just seemed to get crazy hot from the one on the 12th hole, and everything I looked at, pretty much went in,” Sullivan said. “It’s a nice feeling.”

Grillo started and finished with birdies to reach 11 under overall. He hasn’t won on the Euorpean Tour, but won the Frys.com Open, the first tournament of the new U.S. PGA Tour season last month, two weeks after he secured his card by winning the Web.com Tour Championship.

Two behind the Argentine was American Patrick Reed, who birdied five of his last six holes to close with a 65.

Reed was one shot ahead of McIlroy, Charl Schwartzel (65), and Thongchai Jaidee (67).

Two-time defending champion Henrik Stenson closed with a 69 to be 2 over for the tournament. At one stage, after six holes, the Swede was 9 over before making seven birdies in his last 12 holes.

NAPLES, Fla. – Purses on the LPGA Tour will rise by $4 million in 2016, and officials are aiming for a second event in China.

The tour released next year’s schedule on Friday, with 33 events – two of which will be in Canada. Purse money will rise from $59.1 million to $63.1 million, a tournament has been added in Michigan and the LPGA will take a three-week break to accommodate the return of golf to the Olympics in August.

“Stability with growth,” LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan said. “We’ve had some dramatic things we needed to address in the last six years … and the numbers, I think, kind of speak for themselves.”

In 2011, the LPGA had 23 official events and $40.5 million in purse money with 220 hours of television coverage. The TV hours will increase again to about 410 next year. The LPGA also announced Friday a partnership with the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin for a tournament that will start in 2017 and offer a $2 million purse.

“It’s an exciting time,” Whan said.

The 2016 schedule starts with five tournaments in five different countries, matching the layout of the past two years. The season begins in the Bahamas in late January, and the first event in the U.S. is the Coates Golf Championship at Ocala, Florida. It ends Saturday, Feb. 6, and won’t conflict with Super Bowl 50 the next day in Santa Clara, California.

The five majors are the ANA Inspiration ending April 3, the Women’s PGA Championship ending June 12, the U.S. Women’s Open ending July 10, the Women’s British Open ending July 31, and The Evian Championship ending Sept. 18. The Olympic field will be set the day after the Women’s Open, meaning a chance exists that the British Open champion might not be Rio-bound.

“The Olympics is making 2016 a little more crowded than a typical LPGA schedule in the middle of the summer,” Whan said. “But it’s a great problem to have when you have to get condensed because you’re about to play in the Olympics for the first time in 100 years.”

Golf Canada’s Canadian Pacific Women’s Open will be held Aug. 22-28  in Calgary, with a $2.25 M purse.  The other Canadian event – the Manulife LPGA Classic – will be held the following week from Aug. 29-Sept. 4 in Cambridge, Ont. with a $1.6 M purse.

China was expected to host two events in 2015, though one was canceled about two weeks before the start. The LPGA plans to return for an event that ends Oct. 2. Whan said he’s confident the second tournament – which is still listed as TBD on the schedule – will come together as planned.

Other nations on the 2016 schedule besides Canada and the U.S. include: Australia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan and Mexico.

Next season ends again at the CME Group Tour Championship on Nov. 20 in Naples, Florida.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL SCHEDULE

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Team Canada member Eric Banks finally ran out of steam on Friday, falling in his quarter-final match at the Argentine Amateur by 2 holes.

Banks, a Truro, N.S., native, fell at the hands of 13^th seeded Luca Cianchetti of Italy at the Tortugas Country Club in the 120^th running of the event. He exits competition as the 5^th seed, earned by his runner-up finish in the two qualifying stroke-play rounds.

The 23-year-old had an impressive couple weeks in Argentina, which also included placing runner-up in stroke-play at the Tailhade Cup en route to winning the team event.

Click here for full scoring.

TORONTO – The Golf Journalists Association of Canada (GJAC) and Freedom 55 Financial have awarded the inaugural Freedom 55 Financial GJAC Journalism Scholarship to Kelly Hobson, a Masters of Journalism Candidate at Carleton University.

Hobson, who holds an undergraduate degree from Western University, and has interned at the Edmonton Journal, impressed the four-judge panel with her writing prowess and multimedia skills. “Kelly’s writing was a notch above all the other candidates,” said Jason Logan, editor of SCOREGolf Magazine and GJAC scholarship coordinator, noting she also submitted an outstanding radio feature. “She’s an excellent example of the great journalists Canada’s schools continue to produce.”

Hobson was ecstatic to receive the news. She receives $2,000 from Freedom 55 Financial for her efforts.

“It’s an honour to present Kelly with this bursary,” said Mike Cunneen, Senior Vice-President, Freedom 55 Financial. “We believe in supporting Canadians in achieving their goals and dreams today and tomorrow. This bursary will hopefully help Kelly as she continues to pursue her goals.”

“This bursary gives me not only the means to pursue some of the sports stories I want to tell, but also the confidence in my abilities as a sports journalist,” Hobson said. “Incurring costs as a freelancer is par for the course, but with shrinking newsroom budgets, every piece is now a risk with slimmer chance of reward. I’m indebted to the Golf Journalists Association of Canada.”

Hobson was also invited to attend GJAC’s annual Writing & Photography Awards ceremony and dinner this coming July at the historic Mississaugua Golf and Country Club.

Established in 2006, part of GJAC’s mandate is to promote golf journalism in Canada and recognize excellence in Canadian golf journalism. The focus of this scholarship was to encourage excellence in sports writing by student journalists across the country.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – National Amateur Squad member Eric Banks has continued his hot play of late, advancing to the Argentine Amateur quarter-finals on Thursday at the Tortugas Country Club.

Banks, a University of Florida alumnus, defeated 12^th seed Montenegro Jesus Dario of Argentina, 4&3, to punch his ticket to the quarter-finals. The win also came on the Truro, N.S., native’s 23^rd birthday.

Banks has not taken his foot off the gas since helping Canada win the Tailhade Cup last week in Argentina. He tied for second in the stroke-play qualifying rounds at 4-under before going on to win his first match 6&5.

Banks will look to keep thing rolling against 13^th-seeded Luca Cianchetti of Italy in Friday’s quarter-final match. The semi-final round will also commence Friday, with the 36-hole final set for Saturday.

Tony Gil, the second half of Canada’s winning duo at the Tailhade Cup, slipped in his opening match against Mexico’s Eduar Carrete Serratos, losing in 20 holes. The Vaughan, Ont., product finished T24 in stroke-play qualifying at 2-over par.

Click here for live scoring

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Davis Love III and Davis Love IV did everything together Thursday at Sea Island.

They have the same pre-shot routine, a full practice swing before setting up over the ball. Both hit 3-wood off the tee and made birdie on the opening hole. Both wound up with an even-par 70 on the Seaside Course. And both have a lot of work to make up ground on Kevin Kisner.

Kisner hit 3-wood to about 25 feet on the fringe and made eagle on his penultimate hole on the Plantation Course for a 7-under 65, giving him a one-shot lead based on par after the first round of the RSM Classic.

Jeff Overton, Canada’s David Hearn and Tom Hoge each had a 6-under 64 on the Seaside Course.

The biggest crowd – which wasn’t much on a day when storms threatened but never arrived – filled the bleachers behind the first tee to see some familiar faces.

Love, the 21-time winner on the PGA Tour, has lived at Sea Island since he was 4. They saw his son, known as Dru, go from a toddler with a plastic club to a 6-foot-5 junior at Alabama who earned a spot in the RSM Classic through a qualifier for the final exemption.

Nerves?

Those belonged mainly to dad.

“I was a little flustered,” Love said. “I was running late and nervous for him, and then he hit it right down the middle and hit it stiff and made birdie. And I stopped worrying about him and started worrying about me a little more.”

Neither made many birdies on a soft, calm and cloudy day that was ideal for low scoring _ 110 players in the 156-man field broke par. Love’s round went the wrong direction with a poor tee shot that led to double bogey on the 13th hole. Dru Love caught his dad with a big tee shot and a two-putt birdie on the par-5 15th. On the final hole, Love had a 10-foot birdie putt to finish 1 under and just missed it.

This wasn’t a father-and-son competition – at least not to the father.

Asked his goal for Friday, Dru Love smiled and said, “Beat my dad.”

“I didn’t beat him today,” the son said. “Obviously, my goal is to make the cut. I’ve got that in the back of my head. I’ll try to be more patient. After I birdied the first hole, my expectations were a little high. I’ve played this course a lot and I’ve played it well. So I think I thought I could play better than I did.”

Making it easier for Dru Love was having Justin Thomas along for the ride. Thomas, who missed two short birdie putts at the end and had to settle for a 67, played two years with him at Alabama, and he made it feel like an old college match, even telling Dru Love, “Nice save, Bigfoot,” after a nifty up-and-down on the 16th.

Dru Love has a size 13 shoe and has been called that since his freshman year at Alabama.

Kisner had done everything but win this year. He has lost in a playoff three times – to Jim Furyk at Hilton Head, to Rickie Fowler at The Players Championship and in a four-man playoff at The Greenbrier Classic – and he was runner-up at the HSBC Champions in Shanghai two weeks ago.

“I haven’t been disappointed in any stretch of golf coming down the stretch to have a chance. I always rate myself on that,” Kisner said. “I’ve just gotten beaten a few times, so hopefully I’ll have a chance coming down with a couple-shot lead on Sunday.”

It is rare for fathers and sons to play together on the PGA Tour. Craig Stadler and son Kevin played in the 2014 Masters. Jay Haas has played numerous times with son Bill, a six-time tour winner. Jack Nicklaus played his final full season in 2000 when son Gary earned his tour card.

Love is curious to see if his son can develop into a PGA Tour player.

“I hope that he’s another one of these kids that come out here and is chasing me off,” Love said. “I hit a really good drive at 15 and I think Dru was 20 (yards) by me and Justin was 40 by me. I was like, ‘Oh, they’re going to run me off eventually.’ It’s fun to watch Dru play. … I was proud of him. Heck of a first day.

“With everything going on around our family and him getting in this tournament and all the attention, I thought he handled it really well and played a good round of golf.”

Dru Love conceded to having a few nerves, too, though it helped to be with Thomas, and to know “just about everyone in the stands behind us everyone in fairway.”

And it helped to have his father along for the ride.

“We talked about normal stuff, mostly about what we’re going to have for lunch and dinner,” Dru Love said. “He’s good at leaving me alone when I need to be left alone. He tried to treat me like he would anyone else out there.”

NAPLES, Fla. – Austin Ernst leads the tournament, Sei Young Kim leads the race for $1 million and Lydia Ko has edged closer to everything else that’s at stake this weekend.

So as expected, the LPGA’s finale for 2015 is off to a hectic start.

Ernst shot a 6-under 66 Thursday to take a one-shot lead over South Korea’s Mi Hyang Lee after the opening round of the CME Group Tour Championship. Kim, part of a group two shots off Ernst’s pace, would win the season-ending $1 million bonus if the tournament ended in its current order. Ko shot a 69 to move closer to earning player of the year honours, plus the scoring and money titles.

“I’ve just got to think of it as another tournament,” said Ko, the 18-year-old from New Zealand who holds the No. 1 ranking. “That’s what I said for all the majors. I’ve got to focus on one shot at a time and not think like it’s a major so it’s more special and all that. Obviously, it is, at the end of the day. But it’s another tournament. We’ve got the world’s best golfers here, the top players are here, it’s a great field, it does feel like a major.

“And with everything that might come along on Sunday, it might be more than that.”

She would know, after sweeping the tournament and the bonus a year ago. Ko opened with a 71 at Tiburon last year and was five back after the first round; she was two shots better, and two shots closer to the lead, after Thursday.

Meanwhile, Ernst – who has struggled mightily in her past trips to Tiburon – took a new and simple approach to the course this time. All she tried to do was stay out of trouble, and she made it look easy.

“I drove it pretty well today,” said Ernst, an American who hit 17 greens. “I’ve been hitting it well this year. It’s really just a matter of I needed to get myself in better positions. I didn’t really put too much stock in how I’ve played here the last two years.”

Lee was alone in second. At 68, Kim was in a six-way tie for third with five Americans – Jennifer Song, Cristie Kerr, Brittany Lincicome, Jaye Marie Green and Gerina Piller.

“It’s great to come in and have a good round on the first day,” Lincicome said. “My dad always told me, you can’t win it on the first day but you can definitely lose it. So I put myself in contention a little bit.”

Kim, a three-time winner this year, already has wrapped up rookie of the year honours and entered the week as one of the nine players with a shot at winning the “Race to CME Globe” and the accompanying $1 million bonus. Ko, Inbee Park and Stacy Lewis would all capture that bonus by winning the season finale; Park struggled with the Bermuda greens and shot 71, while Lewis opened her last chance at winning a tournament this year with a 72.

“Just wasn’t very good,” Lewis said. “Didn’t really hit the ball very solid and never gave myself a lot of good birdie chances. Just didn’t play very well.”

Ko and Park will decide the world’s No. 1 ranking this week, along with the scoring title, player of the year and the money crown. For Ko to ensure she goes into the off-season with all those, she needs to finish two shots ahead of Park.

“I don’t know how they are sleeping at night, to be honest with you,” said Lincicome, who isn’t one of the nine with a shot at the $1 million. “It’s a lot of pressure, especially Lydia, she is so young and she handles it so well. To have so many different prizes on the line, I don’t think I would sleep.”

Canada’s Brooke Henderson also opened with a 72, while compatriot Alena Sharp had a 74.