MOSCOW – Bradley Dredge shot 5-under 66 Friday to lead the Russian Open by one stroke at the halfway stage.

The Welshman started the day tied for third but had a bogey-free second round for 10-under 132 overall after teeing off on a damp morning at the Skolkovo Golf Club, near the center of Moscow.

The 42-year-old Dredge is chasing his first tour win since the 2006 European Masters.

England’s Lee Slattery is second after shooting 67, including five birdies on the back nine.

Daniel Gaunt of Australia, who had a share of the lead after the first round, shot 69 to drop to third at 8 under.

The other leader after the first round, Scotland’s Scott Jamieson, is tied for seventh after a par-71 second round, including a double bogey on the ninth. Last year’s winner David Horsey of England is tied for 11th on 5 under.

Former top-ranked tennis player Yevgeny Kafelnikov missed the cut, tied for 127th on 12 over. However, the 41-year-old Russian’s performance this week easily beat previous efforts at the Russian Open, where he has been as much as 40 over after two rounds.

Belgian amputee Ced Lescut, who plays with a prosthetic right leg following a motorcycle accident, placed last in his European Tour debut on 38 over, but finished with a birdie.

ACTON, ONT. – A battle for national supremacy will be waged next week in our nation’s capital.

The PGA Assistants’ Championship of Canada presented by Callaway Golf Canada will be contested over 54-holes at Camelot Golf and Country Club from Sept. 9-11.

“The PGA of Canada is extremely delighted to visit our nation’s capital of Ottawa and the outstanding Camelot Golf and Country Club,” said PGA of Canada president Constant Priondolo. “This year’s field is very strong and we’re definitely going to be treated to some amazing golf.”

The 109-player field features three past champions and 27 of the top 100 from the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC.

Past champions teeing it up at the Thomas McBroom designed course include last year’s winner and No. 5-ranked Brian McCann who looks to win his third PGA Assistants’ Championship of Canada trophy since 2010; as well as two-time (2011 and 2012) winner and the sixth-ranked Mike Belbin; and the association’s No.-1 ranked player Billy Walsh who captured his PGA Assistants’ Championship of Canada in 2013.

For first and second round tee times, click here.

“We are truly excited to showcase our exceptional golf course and facility,” said Camelot Golf and Country Club’s head professional Bill Keating. “The PGA of Canada conducts world class championships and we’re pleased to have a chance to showcase Camelot to not only those in the talented field, but to the entire association as well.”

Camelot opened for play in 1992 and was awarded second best new golf course in Canada and rated fifth in North America by Golf Digest. The golf course has exceptional shot value, playability, design balance, memorability and aesthetics. Towering pines, majestic views of the Ottawa River and the Gatineau Hills, also complement the property.

In addition to Walsh, McCann and Belbin, other top 100-ranked players include Alf Callowhill, Brad Kerfoot, Christophe Belair, Colin Murray, Ed Maunder, G.W. King, Jim Zwolak, John Kelly, Keir Smith, Kent Fukushima, Kevin Senecal, Kyle German, Lee Cury, Louis-Pierre Godin, Marc-Etienne Bussieres, Maxime Barre, Nick Kenney, Nicolas Fortin, Oliver Tubb, Pat Marcia, Reg Millage, Scott Borsa, Tyler LeBouthillier, Walter Keating Jr.

A 36-hole Inter-Zone competition involving four-player teams representing their respective PGA Zones will be contested over the first two rounds.

NORTON, Mass. – The second FedEx Cup playoff event is all about the Big Three.

And the battle for No. 1.

Rory McIlroy returned to No. 1 in the world even though he skipped opening playoff event last week at The Barclays. That’s mostly about math, and an indication that McIlroy and Jordan Spieth are running nose-to-nose at the moment. Spieth has the easiest road back to No. 1 this week and likely only has to finish ahead of McIlroy.

Jason Day, coming off his six-shot victory at The Barclays, would have to win to have any chance.

The Deutsche Bank Championship gets underway Friday, and at least for the moment, the focus has shifted from the race for the $10 million bonus by winning the FedEx Cup to a world ranking that figures to keep changing over the next few months.

Tee times Friday at the TPC Boston are based on the FedEx Cup standings, meaning Day, Spieth and Bubba Watson will be in the same group for the opening two rounds. McIlroy slipped six spots to No. 15. He will be a couple of group ahead of them alongside Hideki Matsuyama and Kevin Kisner.

The original “Big Three” were Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player – all were represented by IMG founder Mark McCormack.

That led one reporter to ask Day and McIlroy which of the old “Big Three” they best resembled.

And both picked Player.

“He was the smallest,” McIlroy said. “Yeah, I’d probably be Player. Sitting here in 30 year’s time, if I had the career he head, I’d be pretty happy.”

Yes, but how many pushups can McIlroy do?

“Probably not as many as him,” he said.

Day also went with Player, later adding that he hoped to win enough tournaments to rate with Palmer and Nicklaus. Day has six, so he has some work to do.

“It’s funny to look at it that way,” Day said. “This is a totally different era. Back then, these are the guys that put golf on the platform that we’re on today. Arnold changed the way we look at golf. He came out when TV came out and really made golf sexy. Jack with his dominance. And then obviously, Gary being an international player, and also dominant, made a lot of fun golf to be watched.”

Here’s what to watch for Friday:

THE BASICS: Only the top 100 in the FedEx Cup standings qualified for the Deutsche Bank Championship, and two players have withdrawn. Sergio Garcia, who also skipped last week, has dropped to No. 43. Wil Wilcox had an injury. He was No. 89, so his season is over.

The magic number for the week is 70. That’s how many players advance to the BMW Championship north of Chicago in two weeks.

For all the talk about the Big Three, Spieth said there were 100 players “fully capable of having four good days and winning this event, and hopefully that can be me.”

The TPC Boston has been favorable to the higher seeds.

Only one winner – Charley Hoffman at No. 59 – outside the top 15 in the FedEx Cup standings has won the Deutsche Bank Championship.

Those are just the winners. A year ago, Geoff Ogilvy was No. 100, had a hot stretch for 27 holes, tied for second and went all the way up to No. 24.

—

THE STREAK: Hunter Mahan, barring a quick turnaround, is on the verge of ending the longest streak in the FedEx Cup era.

Mahan has never missed a playoff event since this lucrative series began in 2007. He was in trouble a year ago, but only briefly. He was No. 62 going into the playoffs and won The Barclays, sending him to one of the coveted top five seeds at the final tournament at East Lake.

Mahan is No. 91 going into the TPC Boston. The streak ends unless he can at least get to No. 70.

—

THE PRESIDENTS CUP: Another streak already has ended.

Phil Mickelson has qualified for every Presidents Cup team since it began in 1994. He was eliminated last week at The Barclays. Even if Lefty were to win the Deutsche Bank Championship, he would not crack the top 10. So his only hope is a win – or at least close to a win – to get one of the two captain’s picks by Jay Haas.

Mickelson has been part of every Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup team since 1994. That’s 20 in a row.

Chris Kirk is holding down the 10th spot, and Bill Haas (No. 11) would need fifth place to have a chance to move past him.

For the International team, Danny Lee is narrowly ahead of Steven Bowditch, with John Senden still in range. That team is decided by the world ranking.

NORTON, Mass. – Phil Mickelson only realized a few days ago his proud streak of qualifying for 20 consecutive teams was over.

Even if he were to win the Deutsche Bank Championship this week, he could not finish among the top 10 players who automatically qualify for the Presidents Cup team. That leaves him one important week to at least make an impression as a captain’s pick.

“I would love to be on the team,” Mickelson said Thursday after his pro-am round at the TPC Boston. “If I can play well this week, hopefully I’ll have a chance to be a pick. And if I do, then I’ll keep playing to try to stay sharp. If I don’t play well this week and I’m not a pick, then I’m not sure what I’ll do hereafter.”

It’s one of the most impressive streak in golf, a testimony to two decades of Mickelson consistently playing at a high level. He qualified for the first Presidents Cup in 1994, and then qualified for every Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup since then.

Tiger Woods was playing his third tournament as a pro during the 1996 Presidents Cup team. He missed the 2008 Ryder Cup with a knee injury and had to rely on a captain’s pick for the Ryder Cup in 2010 and the Presidents Cup in 2011.

Jim Furyk played on every U.S. team dating to the 1997 Ryder Cup, a streak that ended when he was left off the 2013 Presidents Cup team.

Mickelson knew he needed a win during the FedEx Cup playoffs and one other good finish. He shot 73 on Sunday and tied for 50th in The Barclays. The Presidents Cup is based on FedEx Cup points. Mickelson is 1,559 points behind the 10th spot, and the most he can earn this week is 1,100 points.

The Presidents Cup is Oct. 8-11 in South Korea.

Mickelson was a runner-up at the Masters, tied for fourth at the Wells Fargo Championship and tied for third at the St. Jude Classic. He also was in the top 20 at two other majors. But he has been finishing middle of the pack at most events, and is in danger of going two straight years without a victory for the first time in his career.

“I think I need to have a good week to show that I’m playing well,” Mickelson said. “Again, it’s been close. I haven’t been playing horrific. I’ve been making cuts and having decent finishes. But I haven’t played to the level that I expect to play. I’d love to put it together this week and be on the team. But you’ve got to play the guys that are going to help you win.”

Eighteen players are ahead of Mickelson in the U.S. standings. Mickelson did not have an answer on what he needed at the TPC Boston to merit a wild-card selection.

“I’m just trying to play well this week and see how it goes,” he said. “I want to be on the team, not only to keep the streak but they’re my favorite weeks – playing with the guys and the match play format. I love being on the team. But if I haven’t played well enough to make it, then I understand that, too.”

He said he has spoken to Haas, and he said Haas has indicated he wants Lefty on the team.

“But from my standpoint, I’ve got to earn it, too,” he said.

Two years ago, Mickelson played the final round at the TPC Boston with 20-year-old Jordan Spieth, who closed with a 62. Spieth was so impressive that day that Mickelson sent a text to U.S. captain Fred Couples that said, “Dude, you’ve got to pick this guy.”

Maybe that’s the kind of performance Mickelson now needs himself.

MEDICINE HAT, Alta. – The second round of the 2015 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship concluded Thursday at Desert Blume Golf Club in Medicine Hat, Alta., with Team Ontario emerging as provincial team champions.

The Ontario trio of Michael Jackson (Collingwood, Ont.), Michael Mealia (Richmond Hill, Ont.), and Lars Melander (Oakville, Ont.) posted a combined second-round of 4-under 140 to capture the Phil Farley trophy with a 3-under 285 total.

“We were behind by a couple of shots going into today and we knew a couple of good scores had to be done,” said Team Captain Michael Jackson. The three-man unit began the day down two strokes and benefited from a second-round 69 by Melander and 71 from Jackson.

The victory adds to Team Ontario’s successful summer which has already included team and individual titles at the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship. “I’m really pleased to be a part of that and represent the Golf Association of Ontario,” added Jackson.

The squad finished one stroke ahead of Team Alberta made up of Floyd Kilgore (Grimshaw, Alta.), Howard Broun (Calgary) and David Schultz (Calgary) who finished 1-under par on the day. Rounding out the top-three with a total of 287 was John Gallacher (Burnaby, B.C.), Doug Roxburgh (Vancouver) and Sandy Harper (Nanaimo, B.C.) of Team British Columbia.

In the 70-and-over Super Senior division, George Stokes of New Hamburg, Ont., claimed a one-shot victory over Ken Bradley of Moose Jaw, Sask. Stokes improved upon a runner-up result in 2014 by carding rounds of 78 and 82 in tough windy conditions to finish 16-over 160 for the victory.

“It’s nice. It’s sort of the daily double because in 1998, I won the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship. So now that I’ve had a chance and finally won the Super Senior, it’s sort of a feather in my cap. I’m happy about it,” said the 73-year-old Stokes.

Bradley shot a 79 in his second round to finish 17-over par. Finishing in third was 2014 Super Senior champion Mickey Batten of Chateauguay, Que., with a total of 162.

Following tough windy conditions which forced the tournament to be reduced by 18 holes, the second round of the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship was completed on Thursday with Jack Hall of Savannah, Ga., taking the lead at 8-under par.

“I have the speed of the greens down pretty well and most every putt I hit got to the hole. When you have the ball getting to the hole, some of them drop,” explained the 2015 Georgia Mid-Amateur champion. After a first-round 69, Hall carded a bogey-free 5-under 67 to lead by one stroke.

“If I can come out and get loose early, hit a couple fairways and greens and play my game, I should be fine,” said the second-round leader.

Pat Thompson entered the second round in the lead and followed his 7-under course record with an even-par round. The Asheville, N.C. native matched two birdies with two bogeys and sits tied for second. Joining Thompson at 7-under 137 is Ronald Kilby of McAllen, Texas who carded scores of 68 and 69 despite both his rounds being suspended due to the harsh winds.

“I have to say that obviously our group got the short end of the draw, and that happens – that’s just golf. You win some of those and you lose some of those. Having got through the hard part playing well and scoring well, I feel like I’ve given myself a chance to win the tournament,” said the 60-year-old Kilby.

Lars Melander from Oakville, Ont., and Brady Exber of Las Vegas, Nev., are tied for fourth at 5-under par.

A total of 70 players finished 155-or-better to advance past the 36-hole cut to the final round which begins Friday at 7:30 a.m. MDT.

The winner of this year’s championship will earn an exemption into the 2015 U.S. Senior Amateur at Hidden Creek Golf Club in Egg Harbor Township, N.J., from September 26 to October 1.

For additional information, including tee times and scoring can be found here.

Six players, including British Columbia’s Adam Svensson, Taiwan’s C.T. Pan, Kansas’ Michael Letzig, Florida’s Chase Marinell, Ohio’s Ethan Tracy and Texas’ Curtis Reed shot rounds of 8-under 64 on Thursday at Wildfire Golf Club to share the first round lead at the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada’s Wildfire Invitational presented by PC Financial.

Svensson, who held the 36-hole lead on the Web.com Tour last week at the WinCo Foods Portland Open before finishing T13, two-putted for birdie on the par-5 18^th in near darkness to share the lead. Play was suspended at 8:01 p.m. due to darkness with one group on the course left to finish.

“I’m taking last week as a confidence builder and just have to keep going and see how it ends,” said Svensson, who owns finishes of T2-T2-T3 in three starts on the Mackenzie Tour this season. “There are a lot of birdie opportunities out here, so I’m just trying to hit the fairway, hit the green and make a few putts.”

Earlier in the morning, Reed finished with an eagle at 18 for his 64. The Mackenzie Tour rookie said The Wildfire Invitational, which sees 128 pros compete with 64 amateurs over the first two days of competition, provided an enjoyable atmosphere that helped him go low.

“The two guys we played with today were fantastic,” said Reed of his amateur partners. “They were great guys and we had a lot of fun, and played really well. It’s a different feeling, and you don’t get caught up so much in what you’re doing. You laugh and talk in between shots, and it kind of helps take your mind off golf.”

Letzig and Pan, who sit sixth and eighth on the Order of Merit, respectively, boosted their chances for a good finish to try and move inside The Five with three weeks left on the schedule. The top five players on the season-long money list will earn status on the Web.com Tour for next year.

“The putter saved me big time,” said Letzig, who won earlier this year at the SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel, of his round. “It’s nice to know you can shoot 8-under when you don’t have your best game with you. Whenever you can rely on your putter, it just simplifies everything.”

Pan, meanwhile, is coming off a disappointing weekend where he was T2 through 36 holes at The Great Waterway Classic but went on to finish T11.

“On the weekend I didn’t follow my pre-shot routine seriously. I made some adjustments today, and everything seems really good,” said Pan, who won at The Players Cup in July. “I fixed a couple of things with my game and just tried to stay steady to get in the rhythm that I wanted. Last week was a disappointing finish, but I’m still feeling good.”

One shot behind the group of six leaders was a group of five players that included last week’s winner Brad Clapp and Peterborough native Ted Brown, along with Washington’s Cameron Peck, New York’s Michael Miller and California’s Justin Snelling.

One group was left to finish when play was suspended due to darkness, and will resume in position at 7:15 a.m. on Friday morning. Round two tee times will once again begin at 7:00 a.m.

MOSCOW – Scott Jamieson and Daniel Gaunt took a share of the lead at the Russian Open with 6-under 65s in Thursday’s first round.

Jamieson started his day at Skolkovo Golf Club with four straight birdies. Gaunt had an eagle on No. 12.

Lee Slattery and Bradley Dredge (both 66) are tied for third place, one stroke ahead of a group of eight others, including Made in Denmark winner David Horsey.

Former top-ranked tennis player Yevgeny Kafelnikov shot a 77 and was tied for 121st.

NORTON, Mass. – Bill Haas is grinding harder than ever in the FedEx Cup playoffs, only the immediate goal has nothing to do with a $10 million bonus.

He wants a chance to play for no money at all.

Haas is No. 11 in the Presidents Cup standings. The Deutsche Bank Championship, which starts Friday, is the final event for the top 10 players to earn automatic spots on the U.S. team for the Oct. 8-11 matches in South Korea.

Haas, who has played on the last two Presidents Cup teams, already gets enough attention for being on the bubble. It gets even more acute because his father, Jay Haas, is the U.S. captain for the first time.

So he wasn’t surprised to be stopped on his way to the putting green Wednesday at the TPC Boston. Nor was he bothered when he was asked Sunday at The Barclays, after closing with a 74 to fall down the leaderboard, whether he was pressing too much because his father is the captain.

His round went south on the 12th hole last week when he tried to play out of a hazard in a bid to make birdie, and he wound up making triple bogey. Haas doesn’t feel any more pressure trying to make the Presidents Cup team as he did trying to make the Ryder Cup team a year ago, or trying to win a tournament.

It’s all part of golf.

“If a 400-pound bear chases you, are you more scared than if a 200-pound bear is chasing you?” he said. “You’re still scared and still running fast as (you can). It stinks that I’m close this year. Then again, if I’m 25th, you’re not asking me the question. So it’s good that you’re asking the question. It’s a good problem.”

Jordan Spieth has been a lock for the team sometime after he collected his two majors this year. He is followed in the standings by Bubba Watson, Jimmy Walker, British Open champion Zach Johnson, Jim Furyk, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Rickie Fowler and Matt Kuchar.

Chris Kirk is at No. 10, coming off a hand injury that forced him to miss two majors and a World Golf Championship. He returned to competition last week and missed the cut, and he is the defending champion at the Deutsche Bank.

“I really, really would love to make the team,” Kirk said. “But it’s not like I can go out and hit balls on the range this afternoon, like I’m going to hit an extra bucket of balls so I can make The Presidents Cup team. You just and play and try to play the best you can, and see how it works out.”

Haas would need at least fifth place alone this week to move past Kirk, and the others behind him would have to play even better, such as Houston Open winner J.B. Holmes, Billy Horschel and Brandt Snedeker. Horschel has had only two top 10s since he won the FedEx Cup last year.

Jay Haas will get two captain’s picks, and the players outside the top 10 all seem to know the drill. It’s best to not have it come down to being a pick.

That includes the captain’s son.

Jay Haas was an assistant captain in 2011 when his son was picked. Then again, Bill Haas had just won the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup.

“I can’t imagine me trying any less if he wasn’t the captain,” Bill Haas said. “I’m going to do my best. A lot of times, your best isn’t good enough, and sometimes it is. He wants me to make the team like he wanted me to make the Ryder Cup team last year. But he’s also going to choose the player he thinks is best for the team. I don’t think he’s going to tell me, `Bill, you weren’t good enough.’ He’s going to say, `This guy was playing really well and I had to pick him.’

“There won’t be a conversation we’re going to have that’s like, `Why didn’t you pick me, Dad?’ I’m going to understand why he doesn’t. And I’ll understand why he does.”

Brooks Koepka gets a lot of attention as a potential pick, though he missed the cut for only the second time this year at The Barclays. Koepka didn’t see that as overly detrimental because it was his seventh in eight weeks. He found a quiet spot on the beach near Rhode Island to relax for a few days, and then played a practice round Wednesday with Davis Love III, an assistant captain for the Presidents Cup.

Koepka has never been on any bubble, “except maybe in school when I was trying to go from a C to a B.” What will it take to get him on his first U.S. team?

“Win,” he said. “It’s pretty simple.”

MEDICINE HAT, Alta. – Strong winds and the ensuing unplayable conditions during day two of the 2015 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship forced the suspension of the second round at Desert Blume Golf Club in Medicine Hat, Alta.

Players that were unable to complete their first rounds on Tuesday due to suspension of play did so on Wednesday morning. The same windy conditions experienced on the competition’s first day resurfaced on day two and forced play to be suspended at 3:30 p.m. MDT. The third round has been cancelled and the competition will be reduced to 54 holes.

“It is unfortunate that we have had to shorten the championship, but we wanted to ensure that the tournament is fair to all players. Resuming the second round tomorrow will provide optimal playing conditions for the field,” explained Tournament Director Mary Beth McKenna. “It was a difficult decision, but we concluded it wouldn’t be feasible to complete 72 holes due to limited amounts of daylight and time.”

Ideal conditions began the day and saw low scores from players beginning their first rounds. Leading the way in the morning was Pat Thompson of Asheville, N.C., who shot a first-round 7-under 65 – a senior’s course record.

“I was hitting it stiff. Most of the birdies were within five feet,” said Thompson, who carded five consecutive birdies from holes four to eight before adding three more on the back nine.

“When I could have made bogies I was saving pars. I just started to hit the ball right where I wanted to every time, just over and over. A couple of times, I missed a little bit and I happened to hit it above the hole and it would feed down closer and I’d end up with five feet again,” said the 2014 Georgia Senior Invitational champion.

One stroke back is Ronald Kilby, who shot 2-under through nine holes before his second round was suspended. The McAllen, Texas native opened with a 4-under first round and sits 6-under par through 27 holes.

Frank MacKenzie is currently third following an opening-round 4-under par on Wednesday morning. The 64-year-old from Vernon, B.C., went bogey-free to accompany four birdies.

Team Alberta leads the Inter-Provincial team competition through one completed round of play. Floyd Kilgore of Grimshaw, Alta., and Calgary natives Howard Broun and David Schultz totaled a combined 1-under par 143. Two shots behind the host province are Teams Manitoba, Ontario and British Columbia who sit tied for second at 145.

In addition to the Inter-Provincial team competition, the Super Senior division is also played concurrently over the championship’s first 36 holes. Leading the 70-and-over competition is Ken Bradley of Moose Jaw, Sask., who carded 10-over par in his first round. Two shots back is George Stokes from New Hamburg, Ont., who completed the first 13 holes of his second round before play was suspended.

The 2015 Canadian Men’s Senior champion will earn an exemption into the 2015 U.S. Senior Amateur at Hidden Creek Golf Club in Egg Harbor Township, N.J., from September 26 to October 1.

The second round of the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship will continue on Thursday at 8 a.m. MDT. Scoring, pairings and start times can be found here.

VIRGINIA WATER, England – Rory McIlroy will be able to compete in the Race to Dubai even though he will fall short of the minimum 13 tournaments required by the European Tour.

Keith Pelley, the new chief executive of the European Tour, says he consulted with McIlroy and medical officials before agreeing to make an exception for the world’s No. 1 player.

McIlroy missed two months this summer because of an ankle injury. He missed three events on the European schedule – the Scottish Open, British Open and Bridgestone Invitational.

He has played nine European events. Players are required to play 13 to be eligible for the Race to Dubai.

McIlroy says he is kept from adding four more events through global commitments, such as the FedEx Cup on the PGA Tour, and his recovery program that limits how many weeks he can play in a row.