The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association is proud to announce the 2015 CCAA Golf All-Canadians.

The student-athletes, who are selected by their conference based on performance and contribution to the sport and their team, were honoured at a banquet during the 2015 PING CCAA Golf National Championships in Abbotsford, BC.

PACWEST

Brady Stead – Camosun Chargers

• Stead captured the PACWEST gold medal for Individual Cumulative Scoring and was named the PACWEST Player of the Year. A fifth-year player, Stead also led the Chargers to the Conference League Championship. He has a never-ending work ethic and has developed into a leader at Camosun.

Connor O’Dell – UFV Cascades

• The veteran finished second in the PACWEST overall standings and was victorious at the UFV Invitational by three strokes. O’Dell was the Cascades top performer as they won the PACWEST team silver medal. In his third year of eligibility, O’Dell was UFV’s highest-ranked golfer and a terrific leader.

Hannah Dirksen – UFV Cascades

• Dirksen captured the PACWEST individual title by four strokes and also had wins at the KPU and UFV Invitationals. She led the Cascades to a silver-medal performance at the Conference Championship. Dirkson has stepped into the No. 1 role with the Cascades and has become the leader of the squad.

Carolyn Lee – UBC Okanagan Heat

• Lee won two PACWEST tournaments and also led the Heat to a gold medal in team play. She defines student-athlete having been named a recipient of both the CCAA National Scholar and CCAA Academic All-Canadian awards. Her work habits in the classroom translate directly to her efforts on the course, where she has also excelled as a team leader at UBC-O.

ACAC

Braxton Fox – Augustana Vikings

• Fox fired a final-round 74 to capture the gold medal in individual play at the ACAC Championship. He also led the Vikings to a first-place finish in the team event. The Bachelor of Science in Physical Education student hopes to one day become an NHL referee.

Michael Harrison – Augustana Vikings

• Harrison led the Augustana Vikings men’s team to a Conference Championship in Alberta. The rookie finished second individually at the ACAC Championship, only two shots out of the gold-medal position. Harrison is a Physical Education and Kinesiology student at Augustana.

Kate Griffiths – Red Deer Queens

• Griffiths earned a silver medal at the ACAC Championship. She was victorious at the ACAC North Regional Qualifier. Griffiths is extremely dedicated and driven to excel. She leads by example and pushes her peers and teammates to excel through her dedication and hard work.

Elizabeth Stewart – MacEwan Griffins

• The ACAC Player of the Year and Order of Merit winner led the Griffins to a third ACAC Championship in as many seasons. She also finished in the silver medal positions at both the North and South Regionals. Stewart has been recognized as a favourite in the ACAC to play with because of her attitude and smile. She was awarded the 2014 CCAA Fair Play Award as voted on by fellow competitors and coaches.

OCAA

Evan Littlefield – Niagara Knights

• Littlefield led Niagara to the OCAA Championship. The Knights were also victorious at the Fanshawe Invitational and Niagara Classic. He fired a final round 69 to capture the individual title at the Conference Championship. Littlefield is a consummate team player and a grinder on the course.

Scott Benzoni – Humber Hawks

• Benzoni captured a pair of silver medals at the OCAA Championships. He placed second individually and led the Hawks to a second-place finish in the team event, only two strokes away from gold. Benzoni became Humber’s go-to player this season and he is one of the finest competitors and gentlemen in collegiate golf.

Lorelle Weavers – Niagara Knights

• Weavers fired consistent rounds of 75-76-75 to capture gold at the OCAA Championships. She was also victorious at the Fanshawe and Georgian Invitationals. The defending CCAA National Champion is a model student-athlete, having also been named an Academic All-Canadian. Weavers’ friendly demeanor with her competitors hides the fierce competitive fire she has.

Emilie Tyndall – Georgian Grizzlies

• Tyndall led Georgian to gold in team play at the OCAA Championship and finished second overall individually. She and the Grizzlies were victorious at the Niagara Invitational. Tyndall’s upbeat personality and focus was contagious this season as she clearly established herself as a leader at Georgian.n tremendous leadership.

RSEQ

Étienne Papineau – St. Lawrence Lions

• Papineau captured the RSEQ individual gold medal, winning two events, including the Conference Championship. He finished the season third in the Quebec Order of Merit standings. Papineau, who finished tenth at the Junior World Championship, is a member of Golf Canada’s development team.

Brendan Smith – Boomerang d’André-Laurendeau

• Smith fired his best round of the season, a one-under par 71, at Continental to lead the André-Laurendeau Boomerang to the RSEQ Championship. Smith is a great teammate with a strong commitment to his game.

Annie Lacombe – Vanier Cheetahs

• Lacombe fired two consistent rounds of 78 at Continental to earn a second-place finish at the RSEQ Championship.

Noémie Ouellette – St. Lawrence Lions

• Ouellette earned the RSEQ individual gold medal, with victories at every conference tournament. Back-to-back 74’s gave her an eight-shot win at the Conference Championship. Ouellette finished the season fourth in the Quebec Junior Girls Order of Merit standings. The Lions captain has also shown tremendous leadership.

ACAA

Josh Landine – UNB Varsity Reds

• In Landine’s first year of varsity golf, he captured the individual gold medal at the ACAA Championships. He finished in the Top 3 in all four events, including two victories. Landine has an extremely strong work ethic. He is a quiet leader and a true role model for other student-athletes.

Nick Earle – UNB Varsity Reds

• Earle led the Varsity Reds to a second-place finish in the ACAA Championships in their first season of play. The rookie also placed second individually at the Conference Championships. The UNB men’s team was victorious in two of four ACAA events this season.

Jaylene Holmes-Tang – Holland Hurricanes

• Holmes-Tang finished second individually at the ACAA Championships and led the Hurricanes to gold in the team event. She was victorious at the UNB Invitational. Holmes-Tang, a 2014 National Scholar award recipient, is a dual athlete who has also participated at the CCAA Curling National Championships.

Karleigh McEwen – Holland Hurricanes

• In her first season at Holland, McEwen earned victories at two tournaments as well as the ACAA Championship. She also led the Hurricanes to the ACAA team title. McEwen had the lowest scoring average in the conference and improved her play with every round.

TRINITY, Tex. – Four Canadians combined to tally a 3-under 141 in Monday’s opening round of four-ball at the Spirit International at the Whispering Pines Golf Club.

Collectively, the Canadian squad sits in a tie for seventeenth, 11 strokes back of the leading Norwegians who carded a 14-under 130.

Representing Canada on the women’s side are dual-citizen Maddie Szeryk and Ottawa native Grace St-Germain. Together, the duo posted a 2-under 70 led by three birdies on the back nine from Szeryk.

On the men’s side, former Team Canada members Hugo Bernard of Mont-St-Hilaire, Que., and Eric Banks of Truro, N.S., combined for a 1-under par 71.

Accompanying the Canucks in Texas as team captain is Robert Ratcliffe, Team Canada’s Lead Development Squad Coach. Ratcliffe, a class “A” professional with the PGA of Canada, looks forward to the next two rounds and hopes to build on Monday’s performance.

“Not exactly the performance we were hoping for today but we’re remaining optimistic heading into the next couple rounds,” said Ratcliffe, a Comox, B.C., native. “There are a couple adjustments we’ll make heading into tomorrow and we are feeling confident that we can build on today and post some lower scores in the coming rounds.”

The Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship is a 54-hole four-ball stroke-play competition with three concurrent competition categories: International Team, Men’s Team and Women’s Team. Unofficial individual competitions are also conducted—with PGA TOUR and LPGA TOUR exemptions awarded to the gold medalists. The men will compete for a spot in the Crowne Plaza Invitational, while the women will compete for a spot to play in the Volunteers of America North Texas Shootout.

The event features world-class amateurs from over 20 countries across six continents. Conducted at the Whispering Pines Golf Club since its inception in 2001, the Spirit is a biennial event alternating years with the World Amateur Team Championship. The Spirit is hosted by the World Health & Golf Association, a charitable organization dedicated to promoting amateur golf for the benefit of health related reasons.

Click here for live scoring.

CARY, N.C. – Tom Lehman had an eagle and three birdies in the final four holes Sunday to win the Champions Tour’s SAS Championship.

The 56-year-old Lehman birdied the par-4 15th and 16th, eagled the par-5 17th and birdied the par-4 18th for a 7-under 65 and a one-stroke victory over Joe Durant.

“It’s just nice to get back in the winner’s circle,” Lehman said. “It’s nice to see the putts drop when you need them most.”

Lehman finished at 12-under 204 at Prestonwood Country Club and earned $315,000 for his ninth victory on the 50-and-over tour and first since June 2014.

“I knew that there was a lot of guys really bunched up, and I knew that nobody was running away with it,” Lehman said. “I was 7 under from the 10th hole on … and nobody was really making any big move, so the game was still on. (Durant) played well, but he didn’t get way ahead where we couldn’t catch him. So, he kept everybody – the last group kept everybody in the game.”

Durant closed with a 68. Needing to hole out from the fairway on the 18th to force a playoff, he hit close to set up his final birdie. He missed a 4-foot birdie putt on 17.

“You’ve got make a four there,” Durant said. “I knew that (Lehman) had made a three, and from the crowd, I figured he made a birdie on 18, too. He just finished great. He did what you have to do to win a golf tournament out there, and I just finished a little short.”

Bernhard Langer and Kenny Perry tied for third at 10 under. Langer shot a 68. Perry, the second-round leader, had a 70. Colin Montgomerie tied for fifth at 8 under after a 66.

“So disappointing in many ways, the week to be honest, but that’s my best finish here,” Montgomerie said. “At least I got a top 10 here.”

Montgomerie took sole possession of first place in the Charles Schwab Cup race, 39 points ahead of Jeff Maggert after they began they week tied. Langer is third with three events left.

Canada’s Stephen Ames tied for 16th at 4-under 212.

WOBURN, England – Matthew Fitzpatrick signaled his emergence as one of Europe’s most prominent young golfers on Sunday, shooting a 3-under 68 to complete a wire-to-wire victory in the British Masters at Woburn for his first professional title.

The 21-year-old Englishman, playing his first full professional season on the European Tour, shot five birdies in his final round to win by two strokes and finish on a 15-under total of 269.

“I honestly did not think I was going to win this year,” Fitzpatrick said, even though he finished second in the European Masters in Switzerland in July. “A wire-to-wire victory is unbelievable for me, I really feel that is an amazing achievement. I dreamt of doing it but I never thought I would be good enough.”

Fitzpatrick’s front nine was quiet and unspectacular, making seven pars, a bogey and a birdie on the fourth to go out in 35 shots for par.

But the 2013 U.S. amateur champion shifted gears on the back nine with four birdies.

“It was frustrating after the front nine, I could not get anything going,” Fitzpatrick said. “But the back nine, I started brightly and it felt like I was swinging it a little bit better and I managed to pull it off.”

Fitzpatrick was jostling for the lead with Soren Kjeldsen (69) at the top of the leaderboard on the closing stretch and they both missed putts for the outright lead within minutes of each other on Nos. 13 and 14.

Fitzpatrick saw an eight-footer slide another two feet beyond the hole on the 13th, which he returned for par, while Kjeldsen spurned a straight one from 12 feet moments after on the 14th.

It was Kjeldsen, 19 years Fitzpatrick’s senior, who crumpled under the pressure.

On the par-5 15th, he gave himself a 30-foot putt for eagle, but an excessive swing saw his ball race off the green. The 40-year-old Dane rescued par, before a wild and wayward tee shot on No. 16 settled in the rough, behind the base of a tree.

He escaped, but failed to get up and down for par from 60 feet, by which point Fitzpatrick had demonstrated his composure to surge two shots clear.

After Fitzpatrick escaped from a fairway bunker on the 15th, a resplendent approach with his 8-iron from 175 yards settled 20 feet before the flag. On the same green that had troubled Kjeldsen moments before, the youngest player in the field rolled the ball firmly into the center of the cup for birdie.

On the par-3 17th, Fitzpatrick’s tee shot finished eight feet from the pin for a routine birdie before a bogey on the 18th.

Kjeldsen ended tied for second on 13 under alongside Paraguay’s Fabrizo Zanotti (69) and Bridgestone Invitational winner Shane Lowry (67) of Ireland.

Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat, who started the day tied for the lead with Fitzpatrick, carded a 1-over 72 and was tied fifth on 11 under.

LONGWOOD, Fla. – Jackie Stoelting won the IOA Golf Classic on Sunday for her second straight Symetra Tour title, shooting her third 4-under 67 for a two-stroke victory.

Finishing the season as a non-member on the Symetra Tour after struggling on the LPGA Tour, Stoelting won the El Dorado Shootout two weeks ago in Arkansas for her first tour title.

“It was a huge monkey off my back to win two weeks ago and now to win two in a row after six professional seasons is everything I could have asked for,” Stoelting said. “This is definitely the confidence I needed and an extra bonus to win twice.”

The 29-year-old former Florida Southern player finished third on the Symetra Tour money list last season to earn her LPGA Tour card, but made only two cuts and earned just $7,475 in 18 events. She’s preparing for the final stage of LPGA Qualifying School.

Stoelting earned her second straight $15,000 check, though her earnings don’t count on the money list. She’s the first player to win consecutive events since Esther Choe in 2012.

With her father serving as her caddie, and her mother, husband and many other family members watching, she hit a hybrid to a foot to set up a birdie on the par-4 17th and closed with a par.

“It has been a long journey to get here, I spent five years on the Symetra Tour,” Stoelting said. “None of my family was in Arkansas so to have them all here was just awesome. I’m glad that they got to witness it and be a part of it this time.”

Brianna Do was second after a 68. She made a 7-foot birdie putt on the final hole to finish second alone, and earned $9,342 to jump from 18th to 12th on the money list with $51,037. The top 10 next week after the season-ending Symetra Tour Championship will earn LPGA Tour cards.

“It wasn’t going to be a win with a birdie, but I hit a really good tee shot and I’m glad I made that putt,” Do said. “It was a nice way to end the round.”

Yueer Cindy Feng, Lindy Duncan and Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong tied for third at 9 under. Feng shot 67, Duncan 68, and Santiwiwatthanaphong 69. Duncan is 13th on the money list with $50,315.

Sara-Maude Juneau finished 4-under and was the top Canuck finisher. The Quebecor tied for 20th.

INCHEON, South Korea – The final hour when both teams thought they had it won. The clutch putt that turned a rookie into the hero. The stubbed chip that made the local star cover his face with both hands as if he wanted to hide.

The Presidents Cup, packed with raw emotion and endless nerves, was unlike any other over the last 10 years.

Except for the outcome.

The Americans won for the sixth straight time Sunday when Chris Kirk made a 15-foot birdie putt to win his match in a stunning turnaround on the final hole, and Bill Haas provided a storybook ending with the winning point for his team and for his father.

“A moment I’ll never forget,” U.S. captain Jay Haas said, so choked up when it ended that he couldn’t speak.

Haas used a captain’s pick on his son, sent him off in the 12th and final singles match at the Jack Nicklaus golf Club Korea and then saw Bill Haas hit all the right shots to hold off Bae Sang-moon for a 2-up victory.

The 15 1/2-14 1/2 margin was the slimmest since the famous tie in South Africa in 2003. Not since 2005 has the Presidents Cup been decided by the final match.

That’s what the International team wanted when it demanded the number of matches be reduced (from 34 to 30). It almost got something even better _ the shiny gold trophy that again stays with the Americans.

“Irrelevant of the outcome – we obviously would have loved to have won – we put on a show of golf this week,” captain Nick Price said.

The final session was not without its share of heartbreak.

Anirban Lahiri, the first player from India to make the International team, battled Kirk shot-for-shot over the final hour holes and looked like a winner when he played a delicate pitch to perfection on the par-5 18th and had 4 feet for birdie. Kirk’s chip ran 15 feet by. Based on the status of other matches still on the course, it looked like the International team would finally emerge a winner.

And then Kirk made his putt on the final turn, and one of the most stoic players on the PGA Tour unleashed a fist pump.

Moments later, Lahiri missed.

His putt caught the right edge of the cup and spun out, and he dropped his putter over his back in disbelief.

“I have to give credit to Chris for making that putt,” Lahiri said. “These things are scripted, I guess, and I wasn’t in the script this time.”

Neither was Bae, the only player under the Korean flag who was playing for the final time before he starts mandatory military service. When it became evident the Presidents Cup would be decided by his match with Haas, the American was 1 up and not giving away any shots. Bae holed a 10-foot putt on the 16th to halve the hole. He came within inches of holing a bunker shot on the 17th to halve the hole, which assured the Americans would do no worse than tie.

Facing that tough chip below the 18th green, Bae hit it heavy and the gallery groaned as it rolled back to his feet. He crouched over that covered his face as his caddie, Matt Minister, placed a hand on Bae’s shoulder to console him. Bae chipped about 12 feet by the hole, and when Haas blasted out of a bunker to 8 feet, Bae conceded the putt.

“I wanted to make the winning point for the team, but at the end of the day, our team lost,” Bae said. “So I was very sad and disappointed about it.”

The Americans had a one-point lead going into the decisive singles session, and for the longest time, appeared to be in control all day. They had early leads in nine matches. The International side had to have all the close matches go their way, and that’s what happened.

Marc Leishman took his first lead against Jordan Spieth on the 15th hole and made a 7-foot putt on the 18th for a 1-up victory. Hideki Matsuyama won the 18th hole with a birdie to beat J.B. Holmes.

Two halves were just as critical. Louis Oosthuizen hit a splendid second shot to 12 feet for eagle on the 18th and tied Patrick Reed, and Thongchai Jaidee escaped with a half-point against Bubba Watson in the most unlikely scenario. Thongchai drove into the water and saved par, while Watson missed a 5-foot birdie putt.

Phil Mickelson had an unbeaten record (3-0-1) for the third time in the Presidents Cup, trouncing Charl Schwartzel. Zach Johnson also went unbeaten in easily beating Jason Day, the PGA champion and No. 2 player in the world who failed to win a match this week.

The shortest match belonged to Adam Scott, who won six straight holes against Rickie Fowler and ended it on the 13th green.

Ultimately, though, the Americans were posing with the gold cup, just like always. The series now is 9-1-1 since the Presidents Cup began in 1994, though the International team headed home with belief they are getting closer.

It might have found a stalwart in Branden Grace, who went 5-0 to join Shigeki Maruyama as the only International player to win all five matches.

Scott now has played on more teams (7) of any player to have never won a Presidents Cup. He looked down the row at Grace, Matsuyama, Lahiri and Day and described them as the “future of this event.”

“They are the ones who are going to take it forward,” Scott said. “I’m tipping that every one of them is going to be excited to make the 2017 team after getting a taste of how close this was today.”

INCHEON, South Korea – Anirban Lahiri was seconds away from being the star in a dream debut at the Presidents Cup.

The rest is a blur.

His birdie putt just inside 4 feet rammed off the right side of the cup and spun out. His putter tumbled out of his hand and over his back. He stood on the 18th green with his hands clasped together, the tips of his fingers covering his mouth.

“I would like to rewind and just change the last 10 seconds of it,” Lahiri said.

It wasn’t all on Lahiri, the 28-year-old who made history in these matches as the first player from India. The Presidents Cup would have then ended in a tie the way it played out with Bill Haas winning the final match for a 15½-14½ victory for the United States.

At that moment, rarely has such a competition seen such a swift turnaround.

The Presidents Cup was tied, and with the status of other matches on the course, a point from Lahiri looked as though it would be the winner for the International team. Lahiri was all square with Chris Kirk, both players short of the green on the par-5 18th and facing tough chips.

Lahiri played his to near perfection, up the slope and rolling to 4 feet away. Kirk had a steeper slope and, wanting to at least make sure he had a putt, he chipped in 15 feet long and faced a tough downhill putt that broke two directions.

Kirk’s putt dropped on the final turn. Lahiri quickly settled over his putt … and missed.

“I have to give credit to Chris for making that putt,” Lahiri said. “These things are scripted, I guess. And I wasn’t in the script.”

He was the last player to file out of the closing press conference for the International team. He spoke with poise, exuding the kind of graciousness that already has made him popular with the PGA Tour players he will join next year in America.

Lahiri is not the first player to be exposed for a miss on a big stage. The most famous missed putt in a Ryder Cup was by Bernhard Langer in 1991 at Kiawah Island. Lahiri’s captain, Nick Price, missed a short putt to lose a critical match at the Presidents Cup in 2003 and snapped the putter over his knee. Hunter Mahan muffed a chip short of the green to end his last chance in Wales at the 2010 Ryder Cup.

There are stars. And there are nightmares.

“This is certainly not how I would’ve wanted to have my first Presidents Cup play out,” Lahiri said. “I do feel terrible right now, obviously. It’s going to be hard for me to sleep tonight. I’m sure the rest of the team is going to help me out with that with the evening’s festivities.”

As disappointed as Lahiri was in the outcome, he was thrilled for Kirk. They were the only two players who had not earned a point for their teams, and the normally stoic Kirk was so excited that he slammed his fist toward the ground when his putt went in.

“One thing I’ve learned is to never wish bad on anyone else,” Lahiri said. “When it did go in, I was happy for him.”

Lahiri still knew his short putt for a halve would be critical. It would have assured the International team a tie, and perhaps inspire Bae Sang-moon in the final match to level his match with Bill Haas for the victory.

“I didn’t do my part,” Lahiri said.

He said Bubba Watson was among the first to approach him to share how Watson also had missed that putt. Price also consoled him privately and in public.

“I feel so bad for Anirban, as we all do,” Price said. “We are going to cheer Anirban up. We are going to make sure he goes away from here with a wonderful experience and not let him dwell on what happened today.”

For Lahiri, he has to move on. He was headed to his next tournament in Macau and had two events in Malaysia and China at the end of the month.

Lahiri, who won two European Tour events early in the year to qualify for his first Masters, finished fifth in the PGA Championship and narrowly missed earning enough money for a PGA Tour card. But he did well enough in the Web.com Tour Finals to earn a U.S. card, and he plans to play a full schedule in America.

And he would like nothing more than to be on the next International team in 2017 at Liberty National.

“Hopefully, I get a chance to redeem myself in years to come,” Lahiri said.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Jessica Korda won the LPGA Malaysia on Sunday for her fourth tour title, closing with a 6-under 65 in sweltering conditions at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club for a four-stroke victory.

After winning twice last season, the 22-year-old American entered the week with only one top-10 finish this year, a tie for second in January in Florida in the season-opening event.

“I think it was just a long time coming,” Korda said. “I knew that I was getting really close and just needed to stay patient.”

She made five birdies in a seven-hole stretch that ended on the 10th, dropped a stroke on the par-4 11th and sealed it with birdies on the par-3 15th and 17th. Second-ranked Lydia Ko, No. 3 Stacy Lewis and 2014 winner Shanshan Feng tied for second.

“I was weirdly calm today,” Korda said. “I knew what I needed to do. I needed to take care of myself. If somebody was going to make a hot start, that’s just the way it was going to be. I was going to continue playing my game.”

She cried on the 18th green after her final putt.

“I think just struggling and being at your lowest and then feeling this and just going through these emotions, just incredible gratitude and just being so humbled by everything,” Korda said. “All the support that I’ve had, the people that have stuck with me this year, didn’t stop believing in me even when I did a little bit. I think just all that hit me a little bit.”

The long-hitter failed to qualify for the Solheim Cup team and was passed over as a captain’s pick.

“Stepping back and looking at it, yeah, I was disappointed I wasn’t on the team, but I know I played my way off the team and there was no chance that I could have helped,” Korda said. “I was really glad with the way that everything happened. I got to go to the Czech Republic for a couple days after Evian and sit down with my grandparents and my cousin. Honestly, the last three weeks have been such a great time in my life.”

Korda finished at 18-under 266 and earned $300,000. She opened with rounds of 69, 67 and 65 to take a two-stroke lead into the final day. The weekend 65s are her two best scores this year.

“Jess played unbelievable today. Nobody was going to beat her,” Lewis said. “When you have a two-shot lead and shoot 6 under, it’s pretty hard to beat.”

Korda’s father, Petr, won the 1998 Australian Open tennis tournament.

“I didn’t actually get to talk to my dad,” Korda said. “It went straight to voicemail, but I did get a series of text messages.”

Ko finished with a 66. The 18-year-old New Zealander was coming off consecutive victories in Canada and France, where she became the youngest major champion.

Feng also had a 66, and Lewis shot 67.

“I think I did a lot of good stuff this week and a lot of good things to build on,” Lewis said.

The event was the first of five straight in Asia. The LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship is next week in South Korea, followed by stops in Taiwan, China and Japan.

CARY, N.C. – Kenny Perry shot a 4-under 68 in the rain Saturday to take a one-stroke lead after two rounds in the Champions Tour’s SAS Championship.

Perry had an 8-under 136 total at Prestonwood Country Club. Joe Durant was second after a 68, and first-round leader Bernhard Langer (73) was another stroke back along with Lee Janzen (68).

“It really rained on us out there,” Perry said. “It was a battle. I didn’t have a lot of feel in my hands coming down the stretch, but I hit nice shots and the ball seemed to get around, and I got it in the hole.”

Perry, the 2011 winner at Prestonwood, won the 3M Championship in August in Minnesota for his eighth victory on the 50-and-over tour.

Durant made several long birdie putts, including a 40-footer on the par-3 eighth and a 20-footer on the par-5 12th.

“It was tough, just hard hitting the ball solidly, fighting your grip and everything,” Durant said. “But I putted beautifully today, and that’s why I played so well because my putter was hot.”

Jeff Maggert made the biggest move. The Charles Schwab Cup co-leader shot a 67 to reach 4 under.

Colin Montgomerie, tied with Maggert in the season-long points race, was 2 under after a 72. Langer is third in the Schwab Cup race.

Janzen said he battled all day to keep dry.

“It’s hard to keep your hands dry,” Janzen said. “It’s hard to keep anything dry because everything is wet – everything you touch.”

Sunny conditions were expected Sunday.

“Hopefully, the sun will come out, it will dry up a little bit, and you’ll see some fireworks out there, guys going after it,” Perry said. “You could actually see some really good scores, so I’m going to have to go low again. I’m going to have to shoot a good round because it never fails, somebody on this tour always plays well on Sunday.”

Canada’s Stephen Ames is tied for 26th at 1-under.

WOBURN, England – England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick shot a 3-under 68 Saturday to maintain his place atop the British Masters leaderboard after the third round, but was joined in the lead by Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat.

Fitzpatrick has led since day one, while Kiradech shot a flawless 67 to join him on a 12-under total of 201.

The 21-year-old Fitzpatrick is pursuing his maiden victory in his first full season on The European Tour, while Kiradech has already won twice this season, at the Shenzhen International and the Paul Lawrie Match Play.

“I made a lot of putts on the front nine but the iron play was not as sharp,” Kiradech said. “I’m looking forward to playing tomorrow. If you keep the ball in play on the fairways, you can keep the score low.”

As for Fitzpatrick, he wants to land his first tournament title with a wire-to-wire victory.

“Some great names have won wire-to-wire and it would be nice to add mine to that,” Fitzpatrick said. “It was obviously something in the back of my mind but I’m just bothered about hopefully playing good golf and we’ll see.”

Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen started the day tied for the lead with Fitzpatrick but a 69 dropped him to third alongside Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zanotti, one shot behind the leaders.

England’s Luke Donald carded the round of the day with a 65 to rise 28 places. The former top-ranked Donald is tied for fifth on 9 under and is looking for his first victory on the European Tour since the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in 2012.

“I felt I was hitting the ball really well,” Donald said. “It is always nice to keep a five off the scorecard. I put myself in great positions. I’d love to go out there and shoot another round like this, I think that might be good enough.

“I would just like to win any tournament to be honest, but it would be a little more special in the U.K.”

Bridgestone Invitational winner Shane Lowry is also in contention on the same score as Donald after shooting 69.