JACKSON, Miss. – Roberto Castro’s second round at the Sanderson Farms Championship included some sunshine, thunderstorms, a five-hour rain delay, yellowjackets and a snake.

None of it mattered. He navigated the elements and the unwelcome wildlife to shoot a 5-under 67 on Friday at the Country Club of Jackson to take a four-stroke lead.

“That’s why I stay in the city,” Castro said. “I’m not good in nature.”

But he has been very good in Mississippi, following up a 10-under 62 on Thursday with another impressive round. The highlight was an eagle on the par-4 eighth when his 122-yard shot with a pitching wedge spun back about 10 feet into the cup.

“It’s fun to get one to fall,” Castro said. “Sometimes you go a couple of years without making one and then you make a couple in a couple weeks.”

Bryce Molder, Jhonattan Vegas and D.J. Trahan were tied for second at 11 under. Molder shot a 69, while Vegas and Trahan had two holes remaining when play was suspended for the day.

Molder had two bogeys and five birdies, including a tricky 6-foot putt for birdie on the final hole.

“To knock it in the middle felt good to at least finish that way,” Molder said.

But the story of the day was once again Castro, a 30-year-old who is winless on the tour in more than 100 starts.

He struggled with his driving on occasion during the second round, but made it up for it with a good short game and putting. It helped that the course was once again exceptionally soft, making for forgiving landings on the green when trying to power out of the rough.

“For how much rain they’ve had, (the course is) holding up well,” Castro said.

Castro played three holes before the five-hour delay, making a birdie on No. 3 before the rain came. His round really because interesting when play resumed.

He was on No. 5 when a yellowjacket crawled up his shirt and stung him on the left side. He said he hadn’t been stung since he was a kid. Castro went to Georgia Tech and joked that he was upset “one of my own kind” attacked him.

Georgia Tech’s mascot is the Yellowjackets.

“It just kind of got up under my shirt, and I knew it, and it just got me,” Castro said. “It still stings now, but it didn’t really bother me.

A little later, he saw a snake, leading to his jokes with his caddie about the joys of city life.

“It was a lot to take in,” Castro said. “But I feel like I stuck to my routine and made a lot of good shots.”

Defending champion and Canadian Nick Taylor is tied for 8th at 9 under after his opening 36 holes.

Adam Hadwin didn’t hit a shot Friday. The Canadian, who held a share of 4th heading into Friday, is tied for 17th at 7 under.

The second round was set to resume Saturday morning. More rain is expected.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Michael Allen made a 30-foot eagle putt on the par-5 18th hole Friday to take a two-stroke lead over playing partner Bernhard Langer in the Champions Tour’s season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

Warned for slow play around the turn, Allen finished with a 6-under 64 for an 11-under 129 total on Desert Mountain’s Cochise Course. The 56-year-old Scottsdale resident played the final six holes in 5 under with the eagle and three birdies.

Langer was second after a 68, leaving the 58-year-old German star in position to win the season points title and a $1 million annuity.

Langer began the week third in the Charles Schwab Cup points race, 66 points behind Colin Montgomerie and 27 behind Jeff Maggert, in a bid to win the title for the second straight year and record third time overall. With players receiving a point for every $500 earned in the $2.5 million tournament, Langer was $33,000 behind Montgomerie and $13,500 behind Maggert.

Montgomerie had a 68 and was tied for 18th in the 30-man field at 2 under. Maggert was tied for 22nd at 1 under after a 67. The runner-up in the points competition will receive a $500,000 annuity, and the third-place finisher will get a $300,000 annuity.

Kenny Perry (66) and Billy Andrade (67) were tied for third at 8 under, and Jeff Sluman (64) and Olin Browne (67) were another stroke back.

Allen chipped in for birdie on the par-3 13th, two-putted for birdie on the par-5 15th and made a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th. He won the last of his seven victories on the 50-and-over tour in October 2014.

Langer birdied three of the first four holes, three-putted for bogey on the par-3 seventh and birdied the ninth. The two-time Masters champion dropped another stroke after failing to get up-and-down from the greenside rough on the par-4 12th, took another bogey when he missed an 8-foot par on 17, and got up-and-down for birdie on 18.

Langer successfully defended his Senior Players title in June in Massachusetts for his fifth senior major title and won last month in San Antonio for his 25th victory on the 50-and-over tour.

Allen and Langer use long putters with anchored strokes, a method that will be illegal next year.

 Canada’s Stephen Ames has a share of 8th at 5 under.

ACTON, Ont. —The PGA of Canada’s oldest and most prestigious championship is heading to the west coast in 2016.

The Victoria Golf Club hosts the PGA Championship of Canada sponsored by Mr. Lube and presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf June 12-16, 2016.

“We are very excited about the opportunity to take our PGA Championship of Canada sponsored by Mr. Lube and presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf to Canada’s west coast and the marvelous Victoria Golf Club,” said PGA of Canada president Constant Priondolo. “Next year’s championship will undoubtedly be a success story thanks to the marriage of a one-kind-facility like Victoria and a best-in-class event such as the PGA Championship of Canada.”

Founded in 1893, the Victoria Golf Club is the oldest course in Canada on its original site. Designed by AV Macan, Victoria was ranked No. 14 on SCOREGolf’s 2014 Top 100 Golf Courses in Canada list. The seaside links venue boasts craggy shorelines, lush fairways, challenging ocean breezes and undulating greens, which conjure up images of historic links venues in Scotland.

“When Victoria Golf Club was presented with the chance to host the PGA Championship of Canada, we immediately thought it was an amazing opportunity,” said Victoria Golf Club’s general manager and PGA of Canada member Scott Kolb. “We feel our club is an ideal venue for a match play event with its variety of shot options, natural elements and undulating greens.”

Re-launched in 2011, the PGA Championship of Canada was contested strictly as a match play event thru 2014 with players from the four brackets—Stan Leonard, George Knudson, Al Balding and Moe Norman—looking to advance through the six rounds to capture the historic P.D. Ross trophy. However, this year’s championship at Cabot Links saw a format change, with 64 top-ranked players from the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC playing two rounds of stroke play. The top-16 players from the 36-hole stroke play portion of the event filled out the four match play brackets with the eventual champion winning four match play rounds.

Next year’s championship at Victoria will follow the same format.

Danny King looks to become the first back-to-back winner of the championship since Knudson won in 1976 and 1977. In 2015, King bested Oliver Tubb 1-up in the final match at Cabot Links.

In addition to King, past champions of the PGA Championship of Canada include Moe Norman, George Knudson, Dave Levesque, Eric Laporte, Bryn Parry, Al Balding, Bob Panasik, Tim Clark, Lanny Wadkins, Jim Rutledge, Wilf Homenuik, Stan Leonard, Lee Trevino and Arnold Palmer.

The player who sits atop the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC at the conclusion of the PGA Championship of Canada earns an exemption into the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

The PGA Championship of Canada will be the first national championship Victoria has hosted since the 1993 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship.

The first PGA Championship of Canada was contested in 1912 at Mississaugua Golf & Country Club.

UXBRIDGE, Ont. — The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) has announced the retirement of Manager of Sport Performance Mary Ann Hayward, with her final day being January 29, 2016.

Hayward has been with the GAO since May of 2009 when she came onboard as Sport Performance Coordinator. Hayward brought with her a long list of accomplishments as a competitive golfer including: numerous provincial and national championships; a member of the Canadian Women’s National Team for multiple years between 1990 and 2006, as well as being part of the Canadian World Amateur Team on eight occasions. Hayward, a Canadian, Ontario and Quebec Golf Hall of Famer, also served as a volunteer on the GAO’s sport committee before joining the staff.

Looking back, Hayward says that it was her role in the Team Ontario and Regional Team programs that she will remember most. “The athletes, families and coaches that have been a part of these programs have been phenomenal. I have learned even more about golf and performance from them over the past six years.”

Being as close as she was with the athletes, in the various programs, Hayward offered some parting words to the players.

“The only advice I can give is to put 100 per cent into everything they do. We do not always achieve the results we want, but there is never any excuse for not putting forth 100 per cent effort in training and preparation.”

“Although Mary Ann continues to have an incredibly decorated, Hall of Fame playing career, her impact on young juniors and their families is right up there,” added Mike Kelly, GAO Executive Director. “I am personally grateful and feel confident speaking on behalf of all staff and volunteers in sincerely thanking Mary Ann for her commitment and dedication to the GAO. We wish her all the best in this exciting, next phase of her life.”

Moving forward, Hayward says she is focused on playing in more competitions and achieving more goals as a golfer.

SHANGHAI – Two par saves in the middle of his round and two birdies at the end put Kevin Kisner in a place he has never been.

And that has nothing to do with his first trip to China.

Kisner put together another bogey-free performance Friday in the HSBC Champions for a 6-under 66 and a two-shot lead over Russell Knox going into the weekend of the World Golf Championship. He was at 14-under 130, the lowest 36-hole score of his career, and he was the 36-hole leader for the first time in his career.

It was more than Kisner expected at Sheshan International, mainly because he didn’t have any expectations.

A sore back kept the 31-year-old American from seeing the golf course until he teed it up in the opening round on Thursday. He was so lost that walking off the eighth green, he wasn’t sure how to get to the next hole. None of that seemed to matter.

“It’s just golf, man,” Kisner said. “Doesn’t matter if it was here or wherever. Still get the ball in the hole as fast as you can.”

That proved far more difficult Friday than in the opening round, mainly because the still, soft conditions gave way to a strong wind that never relented. Kisner twice saved par, with a 20-foot putt on the par-3 fourth and a 15-foot putt on the par-4 15th hole.

Only 16 players shot in the 60s on Friday, compared with 41 in the opening round.

Knox started his round with a 40-foot birdie putt that set the tone for the day. He wound up with the low round of the day at 7-under 65, leaving him two shots behind Kisner and with his own tale about being a little unprepared for his first World Golf Championship.

Knox only found out last week in Malaysia that he was in the HSBC Champions when J.B. Holmes withdrew. That was the good news. The problem was getting a visa for China, so wife Andrea came to rescue – twice. First, she filled out all his forms while he played the CIMB Classic and arranged for the meeting with the Chinese consulate in Kuala Lumpur on Monday. Then, she filled in as a caddie for his practice round at Sheshan because Knox’s caddie took an extra day to arrange for his visa.

“My wife was a superstar,” Knox said.

One job apparently was easier than the other.

“We got a stand bag from the pro here and played the quickest practice round ever, and she complained heavily for the last nine holes,” he said with a laugh. “But it was nice to run around quickly, so I did get to see the course. My caddie did not, so I told him what we were going to do.”

The top two players on the leaderboard going into the weekend have never won on the PGA Tour, and both know so much can change over the next two days. Even so, Kisner’s solid play has created a little bit of separation.

Branden Grace of South Africa, who opened with a 63, added three birdies through 10 holes until he forced the issue trying to get further ahead and wound up playing the final eight holes in 2 over. He had to settle for a 71 and was four shots behind.

The buzz came from Li Haotong of China, who spent the afternoon chasing the lead and thrilling the hometown gallery. A bogey on the final hole gave him a 69, and he joined Patrick Reed (70) at 9-under 135.

Li played the PGA Tour China series last year and had a chance midway through the Web.com Tour season to earn a PGA Tour card until fading. Playing at home in a World Golf Championship, he enjoyed the moment – especially seeing his name on the leaderboard.

“Almost every hole,” Li said with a big smile. “Very cool. Very fun.”

It wasn’t a lot of fun for some of the biggest names.

Jordan Spieth missed a few good opportunities at the turn, and then ran off three straight bogeys and wondered if he would make another par. He salvaged his day with birdies on the final two par 5s for a 72, though he was 10 shots behind.

“When I get into the breeze, I hit some shots that I was very shocked with today,” he said. “But I lost a lot of focus there, too. I felt like I was very lazy in my routine, very lazy in picking targets. And it bit me with three unforced errors in a row on the back nine there. But I am pleased with the way that we did rebound, because it looked like I could have just bogeyed in.”

Rory McIlroy winced on the range as he felt cramps in his stomach from food poisoning earlier in the week. He wasted a decent start by playing the last six holes in 2 over for a 72 and joined Spieth at 4-under 140. Dustin Johnson looked like he would throw away his round with three straight bogeys around the turn, only to steady himself and finish with three straight birdies for a 71. He was six behind.

Kisner is coming off a breakthrough season on the PGA Tour without winning, though he sure had his chances. Jim Furyk beat him with a birdie on the second extra hole at the RBC Heritage. Kisner went blow-for-blow with Rickie Fowler in The Players Championship until Fowler beat him a birdie on the fourth playoff hole. Kisner also got into a four-man playoff at The Greenbrier Classic that Danny Lee ended up winning.

“See if I can get it done in regulation this time,” he said.

Canada’s Richard T. Lee is tied for 27th at 4 under.

SHIMA, Japan – Americans Angela Stanford and Ryann O’Toole shared the lead at 7-under 65 on Friday in the LPGA Tour’s Toto Japan Classic.

The 37-year-old Stanford had eight birdies and a bogey at Kintetsu Kashikojima in the event also sanctioned by the Japan LPGA. She has five LPGA Tour victories and played a key role in the United States’ Solheim Cup comeback with a victory over Suzann Pettersen.

The 28-year-old O’Toole closed with a bogey on the par-4 ninth after playing the previous seven holes in 6 under with an eagle on the par-4 fourth and four birdies. She’s winless in her five-year career.

Japan’s Ai Suzuki was a stroke back along with South Koreans Ha-Neul Kim, Ilhee Lee, Jenny Shin and Mi-Jeong Jeon. Canadian Alena Sharp, Stacy Lewis and Lexi Thompson topped the group at 67.

JACKSON, Miss. – Roberto Castro used to believe it was best to be conservative during the first few holes of a tournament, getting a feel for the course before getting too aggressive.

That’s not the case anymore. Especially not in ideal conditions at the Sanderson Farms Championship.

Castro shot a 10-under 62, his lowest score on the PGA Tour, to take a two-shot lead Thursday at the Country Club of Jackson. It took him just a few shots to realize a low score was there for the taking.

“It’s just so soft out there,” Castro said. “It’s a great golf course, but when the conditions are soft, the scores are going to be low.”

The 30-year-old Castro was consistent and avoided trouble all afternoon with a bogey-free round. He made 10 birdies _ five on each nine.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., was the low Canadian at 7-under 65, tied for fourth. Graham DeLaet, from Weyburn, Sask., was tied for sixth at 6 under, while reigning champion Nick Taylor was 3 under, tied for 42nd.

“I played really well,” said DeLaet. “I screwed up the first hole pretty bad. I had 250 front edge and ended up making double on the par-5. But other than that I was super happy with how I played, made some good putts, hit a lot of good iron shots and gave myself lots of chances.”

Conditions were forgiving thanks to a course softened by rain and very little wind, and players were allowed to use preferred lies because of the wet conditions. More rain is expected, starting Friday.

But there were plenty of birdies for the taking during the first round and several players took advantage _ 103 of the 122 players who finished the first round shot par or better. Nine players were still on the course when the round was halted due to darkness.

Aaron Baddeley and Bryce Molder were tied for second at 64. Adam Hadwin and Brian Davis shot 65.

Castro began his round on the back nine and, after making five birdies on the first eight holes – including four straight from No. 12 to 15 – realized it “could be a special day.”

Though the 62 was his best on the tour, he’s gone low before, shooting a 9-under 63 at The Players Championship in 2013. He’s winless on the tour in more than 100 career starts.

Castro said the greens at the Country Club of Jackson are almost always good, but the previous rain made them even more forgiving than usual.

“You’re never really worried about getting more than three or four feet past the hole, so it’s a very comfortable speed to make a lot of putts,” Castro said.

Baddeley has won three times on the tour, most recently in 2011, but has limited tour status after struggling last season. He started his round on the back nine and was 5-under through just seven holes, boosted by an eagle on No. 15 when he chipped in with a lob wedge from about 35 yards.

“I wasn’t trying to push the issue,” Baddeley said. “I was just cruising along, trying to just stay in the moment, hit the shot and stay patient. Because the last thing you want to do is force an issue and then you make a bogey or you just hit a bad shot when you didn’t need to.”

Moulder was 7-under through just 10 holes, but cooled off down the stretch to settle for a 64. He missed the cut in his first two events this season and took last week off to “just kind of reset.”

It worked for at least one day.

“I knew that I wasn’t that far off, even though sometimes it feels a mile off, but it’s not,” Molder said. “I just kind of was like, all right, how can we get our mindset right so that we can actually play some good golf.”

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Bernhard Langer left Colin Montgomerie and Jeff Maggert and everyone else behind Thursday in the Champions Tour’s season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

Langer shot a 7-under 63 on Desert Mountain’s Cochise Course to take a two-stroke lead.

“I felt tremendous peace today, I really did,” the 58-year-old German star said. “That’s when I play my best, when I’m not bothered by anything, I’m just walking along enjoying the scenery and having a blast playing golf and doing it well.”

Langer began the week third in the Charles Schwab Cup race, 66 points behind Montgomerie and 27 behind Maggert. With players receiving a point for every $500 earned in the $2.5 million tournament, Langer was $33,000 behind Montgomerie and $13,500 behind Maggert.

Montgomerie had a 70, leaving him tied for 17th in the 30-man field. Maggert three-putted the par-5 18th for a bogey and a 72 that dropped him into a tie for 24th.

Langer is trying to win the season title for the second straight year and record third time overall. The champion will receive a $1 million annuity, the runner-up a $500,000 annuity, and the third-place finisher a $300,000 annuity.

“I’m going to keep an eye on it, but the key is I’ve got to play my own golf,” Langer said. “I’ve got to play my game and that was my mindset going into the tournament. I’ve got to play the best I can and if I do really well, then I might end up in front of them, and if somebody else is better than me, so be it. It’s not life and death.”

Scottsdale resident Michael Allen and Billy Andrade were tied for second at 65. Andrade had a hole-in-one on the 190-yard second hole, using a 6-iron.

“It was a great way to start,” Andrade said. “Haven’t started a tournament like that with a hole-in-one before, so, of course, you automatically bogey the next hole.”

Fred Couples, the 2013 tournament winner at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, was at 66 along with Kenny Perry and Olin Browne.

Langer played the front nine in 5-under 30, birdieing Nos. 2 and 5-8, and added birdies on Nos. 12 and 13. He hit 5-irons to a foot on the second and 6 inches on the fifth.

“Got off to a really nice start, hit most of my targets, hit fairways, hit greens and hit it pretty close,” Langer said. “Then started to putt nicely, too.”

The two-time Masters champion had only 24 putts. He made a 12-foot par save on the par-4 16th after hitting into the left greenside bunker, and got up-and-down from the right bunker on the par-3 17th.

The tournament is Langer’s last before the Jan. 1 ban on the anchored putting stroke that he has used with a long putter for 17 years.

“I’ve thought about it a little bit,” Langer said. “I’ve gathered a few putters, different styles, different lengths, different grips. My first thought is I’ll probably go back to what I did before I went to the long putter, which was what (Matt) Kuchar does, holding the putter against the left forearm that way, and Soren Kjeldsen in Europe does the same thing. I putted that way for seven years and I won a number of tournaments including the Masters, and if you can putt on the Masters greens and win with a grip like that, I would think I could do it in other tournaments, but we’ll see. There’s other options.”

Canada’s Stephen Ames has a share of 7th at 2 under.

Victoria, B.C. – Golf Canada and Bear Mountain Resort have announced a four-year partnership in which Bear Mountain will become the official Canadian training centre for Team Canada’s National Squads.

Bear Mountain Resort, owned by Ecoasis Developments LLP, will provide athletes and coaches with year-round access to all onsite golf and resort facilities including the fitness facility and soon to be constructed premium golf training amenities. Located just outside Victoria, B.C., the west-coast resort is ideally positioned to provide optimal weather and training conditions for athletes from Team Canada’s Amateur, Development and Young Pro Squads.

In addition to the world-class facilities, Team Canada will have access to the award-winning 36-hole Nicklaus Design golf course, located on 836 acres of rolling hills with spectacular mountain vistas and views of British Columbia’s seaside capital city.

“We are very excited to begin this partnership with Bear Mountain and look forward to having our Team Canada players training at one of the best facilities in Canada,” said Golf Canada CEO Scott Simmons. “The facility is well-equipped to provide year-round support for our athletes, coaches and high performance training initiatives.”

While serving as the Canadian training centre for Golf Canada’s National Team program, Bear Mountain will also host two of Golf Canada’s championship events over the four-year period, while also serving as a potential host venue for a Golf Canada Foundation national fundraiser.

“We are very proud that our facilities and community have been recognized by Golf Canada and we are pleased to move forward as their partner and their first Canadian training facility,” said Dan Matthews, President and CEO of Ecoasis Developments LLP. “Supporting athlete development is one of our foundational aspirations at Bear Mountain. Our goal since day one has been to elevate the overall golf experience at Bear Mountain Resort and offer a quality of play that is among the best golf opportunities in the country. Golf Canada recognizes this commitment and we welcome them and their young performance athletes and coaches to train with us at Bear Mountain. “

The Canadian training centre will serve as a home for Team Canada’s training camps—primarily for Development Squad athletes during the shoulder season between October and March – including an upcoming training camp scheduled for February. Team Canada athletes will be hosted onsite at the Westin Bear Mountain Resort and Spa during visits and training camps.

PICKERING, Ont. – The PGA of Ontario released their list of nine award recipients for the 2015 season on Wednesday. It has been a busy week for the association, who also recently announced their headquarters are moving from a plaza in Pickering to the Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham.

Among this year’s nine award recipients was Team Canada’s Women’s Head Coach, Tristan Mullally.

“I am incredibly proud to receive this award from the PGA of Ontario,” said the Class “A” member. “In this game, you always work hard to do the best job you can and it’s really an honour to be recognized by your peers.”

Mullally, a CDC certified coach with the PGA of Canada, has been at the helm of Canada’s National Women’s program since 2011. Since joining Team Canada, Mullally’s role has expanded to include coaching athletes on both the Young Pro and Amateur Squad—which totalled seven athletes in 2015 (including LPGA Tour star Brooke Henderson).

The full list of PGA of Ontario award winners is below:

• Retailer of the Year is Rich Morel – Deer Ridge Golf Club
• Candidate for Membership of the Year is Cory Southon – Henry Brunton Golf
• Junior Leader of the Year is Bradlee Ryall – The Academy at BraeBen/Bradlee Ryall Golf
• Teacher of the YearPresented by FlightScope… is Gareth Raflewski – RiverBend Golf Community
• Golf Professional of the Year is Matthew Yustin – Lambton Golf & Country Club
• Coach of the Year is Tristan Mullally – Golf Canada
• Professional Development Award is Liam Mucklow – The Golf Lab
• Class “A” Professional of the Year is Daryl MacLean – Cherry Hill Golf Club
• Player of the Year is Brian McCann (Brampton Golf Club)