Team Canada

Team Canada storms back to repeat as Tailhade Cup champions

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Eric Banks and Tony Gill

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Team Canada’s duo of Eric Banks and Tony Gil defied the odds on Sunday at the Los Lagartos Country Club, climbing back from a three-stroke deficit to keep the Tailhade Cup in Canada for a second consecutive year.

The comeback was sparked by Development Squad member Tony Gil of Vaughan, Ont., who posted a 1-under 70 for the day’s lowest score—boosting Canada to a one-stroke victory over runner-ups Brazil and Australia. Collectively, the Canucks finished at 7-over (149-139-145).

Eric Banks, a 23-year-old Truro, N.S., product, put forth a solid effort all week, finishing at 1-over par overall (71-68-75) to share individual runner-up honours. Gil, 17, jumped up the individual leaderboard after Sunday’s final round to finish T14 at 6-over. Argentina’s Simaski Matias took home medalist honours, finishing as the only competitor under-par for the tournament at 1-under.

The win marks the second consecutive title for Canada—Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., and dual-citizen Austin Connelly from Irving, Texas won the trophy in 2014 by a margin of 19 strokes.

Click here for team scoring.

Click here for individual scoring.

PGA Tour

Russell Knox et Graeme McDowell sont à égalité en tête à la Classique OHL

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Russell Knox (Jamie Squire/ Getty Images)

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexique – Russell Knox a réalisé six oiselets en 11 trous et était à égalité avec Graeme McDowell lorsque la noirceur est venue interrompre la quatrième ronde de la Classique OHL à Mayakoba, dimanche.

McDowell a réussi un oiselet au 13e trou, une normale-5, avant qu’il ne soit trop tard pour poursuivre. Knox allait amorcer le 13e. Les deux golfeurs affichaient un score cumulatif de moins-19.

Ce sera le deuxième tournoi de la PGA en autant de semaine qui sera conclu un lundi en raison de la pluie. Ça ne s’est pas produit en 10 ans.

Knox a gagné le tournoi HSBC Champions la semaine dernière, à Shanghai. Il peut devenir le premier joueur depuis Camilo Villegas en 2008 à remporter ses deux premiers titres sur le circuit de la PGA en l’espace de deux semaines.

Jason Bohn était à moins-17 après 12 trous. Derek Fathauer, qui menait après trois rondes, jouait plus-1 et était à quatre coups des meneurs.

Le Canadien David Hearn était également au 13e trou et affichait un score cumulatif de moins-1. Il occupait le 70e échelon.

LPGA Tour

Inbee Park wins LPGA Tour’s Lorena Ochoa Invitational

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(Inbee Park (Scott Halleran/ Getty Images)

MEXICO CITY – Inbee Park won the Lorena Ochoa Invitational on Sunday, holding off Carlota Ciganda for her fifth victory of the season and 17th LPGA Tour title.

The second-ranked South Korean star birdied the final two holes for a bogey-free 8-under 64 and a three-stroke victory over Ciganda in cloudy conditions at tree-lined Club de Golf Mexico.

“It was definitely the putter. It was really good this week,” Park said. “I made a lot of birdies this week. It was a lot of fun today with Carlota playing so well. … It was almost a perfect day today. I didn’t make any mistakes, so I was able to focus on my game.”

Ciganda shot a 63. The Spaniard eagled the par-5 second hole and had eight birdies and a bogey.

“I did the best I could,” Ciganda said. “I putted really well today. I think that was the key. … Inbee played unbelievable and she has lots of experience. She knows how to win.”

The former Arizona State player is winless on the LPGA Tour.

Park finished at 18-under 270. She was making her first start since withdrawing in China two weeks ago because of a cyst on her left middle finger.

Tournament host Ochoa won 27 LPGA Tour titles. She retired in 2010.

“Winning this tournament is such an honor,” Park said.

Park took the lead from top-ranked Lydia Ko in the Vare Trophy standings for season scoring average and moved within three points of Ko in the player of the year standings. Park earned $200,000 and is second on the money list with $2,570,096.

Ko skipped skipping the tournament to rest for her title defense next week in the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida.

South Korea’s Sei Young Kim was third at 13 under after a 66.

So Yeon Ryu, also from South Korea, shot a 67 to finish fourth at 11 under.

Canada’s Alena Sharp tied for 29th at 7 over.

 

DP World Tour

Broberg wins BMW Masters title in playoff over Reed

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Kristoffer Broberg (Ross Kinnaird/ Getty Images)

SHANGHAI – Kristoffer Broberg wasn’t happy with his putting last week when he was practicing at home in Sweden, so he made an abrupt change. He looked in his coach’s wife’s bag and decided to give her putter a try.

On Sunday, Broberg made the biggest putt of his career to beat Patrick Reed in a playoff to win the BMW Masters for his first European Tour title.

Broberg and Reed both finished regulation play at 17-under 271 after an afternoon of fine shot-making and dramatic momentum shifts that saw five players briefly share the lead on the back nine. In the playoff, the Swede hit his tee shot straight down the fairway for an easy approach to the pin and a 15-foot birdie putt for victory.

“Last week, in my coach’s studio in Sweden, I was putting indoors and was like I’m not putting good, so I just look in my coach’s wife’s bag,” he said. “So I just tried (her putter) and the stroke was much, much better and the technique, so I just keep it. And it was pretty good.”

Broberg certainly made the putts when it mattered on Sunday, while his rivals came up just short.

Reed surged into a share of the lead with the shot of the day – a stunning eagle from the bunker on the par-5 15th – and then birdied the 16th hole to move one stroke clear of Broberg. But he faltered on his next hole, missing a 4-foot par putt that caught the edge of the hole and curled away.

Two other title contenders, Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee and South Korea’s An Byeong-hun, also barely missed birdie putts on the 18th green in regulation to get into the playoff.

For Broberg, the victory comes at just the right moment. He’d had three runner-up finishes on the European Tour over the past three years and was starting to doubt whether he’d ever get a breakthrough win.

Now he not only has a maiden title, he’s captured one of the four big-money tournaments in the European Tour’s Final Series and beaten some of the biggest names on the tour to do it, including Reed, Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia and Henrik Stenson.

“I didn’t trust myself. A few weeks ago, I was just like, ‘I’ll never win here.’ I was just so down,” said the Swede, who shot a 68 on Sunday. “This field is really good, so I’m just happy to beat all of them.”

Reed, meanwhile, was searching for answers after yet another disappointment on the final day of a tournament. The 2014 Cadillac Championship winner has five top-10 finishes in his last seven tournaments, but hasn’t come up with a trophy.

“All you can ask for is to have a chance come down late on Sunday and I’ve put myself in that position quite a bit recently and unfortunately haven’t gotten in the winner’s circle,” said the American, who shot a final-round 67. “It hurts, but at the same time, I know what I’m working on right now is definitely the right thing because I’m moving in the right direction. Just have to close one out.”

Thongchai (71) and An (70) finished in a share of third place with Stenson (68), who had five birdies in six holes on the back nine to move into contention, and Lucas Bjerregaard (70), who let an early two-stroke lead slip away.

Rose (67) and Paul Casey (69) were another stroke back in joint-seventh, while Garcia, who briefly had a share of the lead after holing a 25-foot eagle putt on the par-5 13th hole, slumped to equal-11th after carding a bogey and double bogey on his final two holes.

Play was halted briefly during the final round to observe a moment of silence for the victims of Friday’s terrorist attacks in Paris.

At noon, tournament officials blew the horns on the course, normally used to halt play due to inclement weather, and all the players took off their hats and bowed their heads for a minute of silence. Many also wore black ribbons on their caps.

“You realize there’s so much things more important than golf, for sure,” said France’s Benjamin Hebert, who wore a white hat with the words “Pray for Paris” written on it. “You wake up in the morning and you see that on Internet and TV and it’s just wow, it’s happened already this year, and you just don’t understand.

“But you can’t stop living, actually, and that’s the thing in France, we won’t stop living.”

PGA Tour

McDowell, Knox tied in Mexico as they head for Monday finish

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Russell Knox (Jamie Squire/ Getty Images)

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico – Russell Knox and Graeme McDowell each had six birdies and were tied for the lead before the final round was stopped Sunday in the rain-delayed OHL Classic at Mayakoba, setting up a sprint to the finish Monday in Mexico.

The fourth round was delayed 3 1/2 hours by thunderstorms that left pools of water across El Camaleon Golf Club.

McDowell elected to finish the par-5 13th when the horn sounded to suspend play because of darkness. He made birdie to join Knox at 19-under par.

Knox was still on the 13th hole.

Jason Bohn, who chipped in for eagle on the fifth hole for an early lead, dropped two shots and was at 17 under through 12 holes. Bohn won his first PGA Tour event in 2005 and his next one in 2010. This is his final event of 2015.

The final round was to resume at 8 a.m. Monday.

This will be the first time in 10 years that back-to-back PGA Tour events finished on Monday because of rain. The Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi had a marathon finish last Monday because of the weather.

With soft conditions, there figures to be little room for error when Mayakoba ends on Monday.

Scott Brown (through 14 holes) and Derek Fathauer (12 holes) were four shots behind. Fathauer, trying to make it six straight PGA Tour events with a first-time winner, had a one-shot lead starting the final round but had only one birdie against two bogeys to fall back.

Knox is coming off his first win last week in Shanghai at the HSBC Champions, and he was so exhausted that he considered pulling out this week. Instead, he continued his around-the world journey to Mexico. He can become the first player since Camilo Villegas in 2008 to win his first two PGA Tour titles in successive weeks.

The 30-year-old from Scotland ran off four straight birdies starting at No. 3, and then stuffed his approach just short of the pin on the par-3 eighth and went out in 31. He picked up his sixth birdie on the 11th hole.

McDowell has not had a top 10 since the Dubai Desert Classic in February. He chose to end his European Tour season earlier than usual because of a mediocre season, and because he has never fared well on the course for the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai next week.

Along with his three straight birdies on the front nine was a par on the opening hole at El Camaleon. McDowell had played that hole in 5 over through three rounds – two double bogeys and a bogey. This time, he hit 3-wood off the tee.

PGA Tour rookie Harold Varner III, Justin Leonard, Patrick Rodgers and Freddie Jacobson were at 13 under, six shots behind.

Canada’s David Hearn played 13 holes Sunday before play was suspended. He’s 1 under on the round and 1 under overall.

PGA Tour

Derek Fathauer takes 1-shot lead in Mexico

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Derek Fathauer (Jamie Squire/ Getty Images)

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico – Derek Fathauer played bogey-free Saturday on his way to another 6-under 66 that gave him a one-shot lead in the OHL Classic at Mayakoba and a chance to extend an unusual streak on the PGA Tour.

First-time winners have captured all five of the PGA Tour events at the start of the wraparound season.

Fathauer would love to make it six in a row.

“I’ve just got to have fun, play golf, play my game, and whatever happens will happen,” he said.

Fathauer was at 16-under 197 and led by one shot over Jason Bohn, who missed a 5-foot par putt on the final hole at El Camaleon Golf Club. Bohn took the lead on the par-5 13th hole with a 25-foot eagle putt right before the third round was halted for nearly 90 minutes because of storms in the area. Bohn had to scramble for pars late in his round and couldn’t save the last one. He shot a 65.

Russell Knox, coming off his first win last week in Shanghai at the HSBC Champions, also made bogey on the last hole for a 65. He was at 13-under 200, along with Justin Leonard (67), Graeme McDowell (70) and PGA Tour rookie Harold Varner III, who made an 18-foot par putt on the last hole for a 68.

Bohn was the 54-hole leader at Mayakoba a year ago until closing with a 74.

“I don’t want to do what I did last year on Sunday,” Bohn said. “The only thing I can draw on is how I’ve been playing. I’ve got to embrace it, have fun and realize where I am. If I give myself enough chances, I’m going to win one.”

He already has come close twice this year. Bohn finished one shot out of a playoff in the season-opening Frys.com Open, courtesy for a flubbed pitch. A week later in Las Vegas, he finished one shot out of the lead.

McDowell was the 36-hole leader, except that didn’t last long. He took another double bogey on the par-4 opening hole, and now has played it at 5 over for the week. McDowell followed with a bogey and spent the rest of the round trying to catch up. A 12-foot birdie on the 17th allowed him to salvage a 70.

“I’ve got to get past that first hole, which is kind of killing me,” McDowell said. “The game is in really good shape. Apart from two driver swings, I’m really happy with the general progress.”

He also hit a drive well right on the par-5 13th that led to a bogey.

Leonard appeared to be the one most affected by the storm delay. He was tied for the lead at 15 under after a birdie on the par-5 13th. When play resumed, he came up short of the green at the 14th, hit a nice chip-and-run to just outside 4 feet and missed the putt. On the par-3 15th, Leonard went left of the pin and down a slope and failed to save par. He was solid the rest of the way and still has a good chance Sunday.

Leonard hasn’t had a top 10 in nearly two years and has said he is trimming is schedule this year to spend more time with his wife and four children. He moved to Colorado in August, and the courses closed Nov. 1. So he went to Arizona for a few days of practice and showed up fresh. He said the mental hurdle in cutting back his schedule was to realize “I’m not going to forget how to swing a club, I’m not going to forget how to play the game.”

Johnson Wagner had a third straight 67 and was four shots behind. The group at 11-under 202 included Patrick Rodgers (69) and Freddie Jacobson, whose 63 was the low score of the third round. Arizona State senior Jon Rahm of Spain had a 66 and was six shots behind. Rahm tied for fifth in the Phoenix Open last season.

 Canada’s David Hearn shot a 75 Saturday and is alone in 78th.

LPGA Tour

Inbee Park leads LPGA Tour’s Lorena Ochoa Invitational

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Inbee Park (Scott Halleran/ Getty Images)

MEXICO CITY – Inbee Park made two late birdies and shot 5-under 67 to open a three-stroke lead Saturday in the LPGA Tour’s Lorena Ochoa Invitational.

The second-ranked South Korean star hit a 7-iron to 3 feet to set up a birdie on the par-3 16th, and made a 6-foot birdie putt on the par-5 17th. She had a 10-under 206 total at tree-lined Club de Golf Mexico.

Park is making her first start since withdrawing in China two weeks ago because of a cyst on her left middle finger. She has four victories this season, winning two of the five majors.

Sei Young Kim, also from South Korea, was second after a 70. She won the event two weeks ago in China for her third victory of the season and has wrapped up the tour’s rookie of the year award.

 Canada’s Alena Sharp shot 72 Saturday and is 28th.

Team Canada

Team Canada holds fourth place after second round of Tailhade Cup

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Eric Banks

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Team Canada’s duo of Eric Banks and Tony Gil continued their effort to defend Canada’s Tailhade Cup title on Saturday, carding a collective 3-under 139 to sit in fourth place heading into Sunday’s final round.

Overall, the Canucks sit at 4-over par and trail a trio of leading teams by three strokes—Australia, Brazil and host Argentina.

Truro, N.S., native and National Amateur Squad member Eric Banks shared the lowest round of the day with a 3-under 68, placing him in second place individually, two strokes back of Argentina’s Simaski Matias.

17-year-old Development Squad member Tony Gil of Vaughan, Ont., bounced back on Saturday’s second round at the Los Lagartos Country Club, shooting an even-par 71 to sit T33 individually.

The final round of rain-shortened event will commence Sunday.

Click here for live scoring.

DP World Tour

Thongchai Jaidee takes 1-shot lead at BMW Masters

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Thongchai Jaidee (Andrew Redington/ Getty Images)

SHANGHAI – Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee shot a 6-under 66 on Saturday to take a one-shot lead into the final round of the BMW Masters.

Thongchai had started the day three shots behind Lucas Bjerregaard of Denmark, but made five birdies on the front nine to move into a share of the lead and then two more on the back nine to card a 15-under 201 through 54 holes.

“I think today I miss about three greens. That’s why the key, I think, is I play my irons really well,” the 46-year-old veteran said. “Tomorrow is a very big day. If I play well like this, keep performing like this, I’m going to have a good chance.”

The Thai golfer, seeking his second European Tour title of the season, is one stroke ahead of Bjerregaard (70), Sergio Garcia of Spain (67) and An Byeong-hun of South Korea (66).

Players wore black ribbons on their hats to remember the victims of the attacks in Paris on Friday night and took to Twitter to share their condolences.

France’s Benjamin Hebert, who shot a 71 on Saturday, posted a picture of himself wearing a white hat and glove with the words “Pray for Paris” written across them, as well as black pants and a green shirt. His tweet read, “Black for mourning, green for hope, white for peace.”

After breaking a BMW Masters record with a 29 on his back nine, Australia’s Marcus Fraser tweeted: “Days like today make you realize even more how insignificant golf really is.”

Fraser ended his round by holing a 231-yard shot for eagle on the par-4 18th hole to become the first player at the tournament to break 30 on either the front or back nine, according to the European Tour. He shot a 65 to move into a tie for 11th place, four strokes behind the leader.

Fraser said he thought his second shot on 18 was “perfect” when he hit it. “All of a sudden, there’s a lot of carrying on up here (at the pin) and I walk up there and I’d torn the front out of the hole and the ball was sitting in the bottom,” he said.

Garcia also finished strongly with three birdies on his last four holes to stay close to the lead. He’s aiming to win his first European Tour title in nearly two years.

“I played the last four holes really well, I think. It was nice to be able to finish like that and give myself a shot tomorrow because I was getting a little bit far behind,” he said.

An, the BMW PGA Championship winner earlier this year, carded six birdies in a blemish-free round, while Bjerregaard had three birdies to go with one bogey.

Sweden’s Kristoffer Broberg was in fifth place at 13 under overall, two shots behind Thongchai, while Henrik Stenson, Patrick Reed, Ross Fisher, Paul Casey and Ian Poulter were another shot back in a tie for sixth.

France’s Alexander Levy and Belgium’s Thomas Pieters had the low round of the day with a 63.

Levy said the Paris attacks were on his mind when he started his round on Saturday morning.

“I was very disappointed this morning when I wake up because I watch what happened in France,” he said. “And I say, ‘Come on, today just have fun and enjoy your day’ because a lot of trouble in France.”

PGA Tour

Graeme McDowell takes 1-shot lead in Mexico

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Graeme McDowell (Justin Heiman/ Getty Images)

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico – Graeme McDowell made seven birdies in an eight-hole stretch Friday and shot an 8-under 63 to take a one-shot lead in the OHL Classic at Mayakoba.

McDowell closed out the back nine with three straight birdies, made a bogey on No. 1, and then bounced back with four straight birdies in the morning. He has played the first hole at El Camaleon Golf Club in 3 over for two days.

Derek Fathauer made four birdies over his last seven holes for a 66 to get within one shot of McDowell.

McDowell was at 12-under 130. He typically plays the European Tour as it concludes the Race to Dubai, but the 36-year-old from Northern Ireland had such a mediocre year that he chose to start the new PGA Tour season.

Canada’s David Hearn shot 70 Friday and heads into the weekend tied for 27th at 4 under. Fellow Canadian Adam Hadwin (72-75) was 4 over and did not make the 36-hole cut.