SNOQUALMIE, Wash. – Larry Mize birdied the par-5 18th hole for a 5-under 67 and a two-stroke lead over Fred Couples and four others Friday after the first round of the Champions Tour’s Boeing Classic.

The 56-year-old Mize had a bogey-free round at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge. The 1987 Masters champion won the 2010 Montreal Championship for his lone title on the 50-and-over tour.

“I am pleasantly surprised,” Mize said. “I’ve been working hard to get things turned around. I was optimistic I could have a good week.”

Couples, trying to win his hometown event for the first time, was tied for second at 69 with Billy Andrade, Carlos Franco, Jeff Freeman and Chien Soon Lu.

Mize hasn’t had a top-10 finish in more than two years. He said “a little bit of everything” has been holding him back.

“More ball-striking than anything,” he said. “I guess you could say I’ve gotten my swing out of whack and I’ve just been having a hard time getting it back going again.”

Couples, from Seattle, played in the featured group with Bernhard Langer and Jeff Maggert, coming off his third victory of the season two weeks ago in Alberta. Couples, who shot a 59 Wednesday in a warmup round at the nearby Broadmoor Country Club, birdied Nos. 10, 11 and 15 also closed with three straight pars.

“I think the birdies on 10 and 11 kept the round where I got under and stayed there,” Couples said. “The greens were beautiful, rock hard, which everyone kind of likes. Larry Mize had a phenomenal round. You can tell because 15th-18th place is 1 under. That’s a long cry from 67. A 69 here before was a really nice score.”

The field average of 73.35 was the second highest for any round in the 11-year history of the event.

Couples used the same putter he had for his 59. He said it was a club that had been sitting around at a friend’s house.

“I’ve been known to leave clubs around,” he said. “I left that one there. I saw it and we went out and played. I left mine (old one) in the room. I didn’t think I could give up on it after shooting a 59. It’ll be in my bag (this weekend).”

Langer shot a 70, and Maggert had a 72.

Defending champion Scott Dunlap opened with a 74.

OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – Canada’s Austin James came up just short on Friday in his bid to reach the semi-finals of the U.S. Amateur at the Olympia Fields Country Club.

The Charleston Southern junior held a 2-up lead at the turn, but could not hang on to the lead after bogeying three holes on the back nine to lose by 2 against No. 22 seed Sean Crocker of Westlake Village, Calif.

James, a Bath, Ont., native, was vying to become the second consecutive Canadian to reach the finals of the U.S. Amateur—Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., achieved that feat in 2014.

The championship semi-final will run on Saturday, followed by a 36-hole final on Sunday.

Olympia Fields Country Club, a two-time U.S. Open venue, will host its first U.S. Amateur with stroke-play being conducted on the 7,037-yard South Course and match-play on the 7,234-yard North Course.

Click here for full scoring.

Ottawa, Ont. – Uniontown, Ohio’s Ross Beal carded a 5-under 66 on Friday at Hylands Golf Club to take the 36-hole lead at the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada’s National Capital Open to Support Our Troops.

The 30-year old Mackenzie Tour rookie reached 11-under through 36 holes to build a two shot lead over Richmond Hill, Ontario’s Taylor Pendrith and London, England’s Charlie Bull heading into the weekend in Ottawa.

“I was able to limit my mistakes. I got loose a couple of times but was able to make some easy pars and when I got some chances I finally made a couple of putts and got warm,” said Beal, who held a share of the 18-hole lead and made four birdies in a five-hole stretch on the back nine to pull away from the pack.

Beal will play with Pendrith in Saturday’s final twosome in a duel of long bombers, with the pair currently sitting 11^th and 1^st in 2015 Mackenzie Tour driving distance, respectively. Beal is averaging 310.9 yards per drive, with Pendrith’s pokes reaching 339.1 yards per drive.

“I know Taylor real well and I think that will make it easier for both of us,” said Beal, who was a runner-up in a playoff with Pendrith to Drew Weaver at this year’s season-opening PC Financial Open. “I think there’s an advantage on some of the holes where some of the shorter guys might not be able to hit some of the same clubs into greens that we are, and I think that’s a big advantage.”

The Youngstown State University grad admitted he expects to feel pressure on the weekend, but that he’s well-equipped to handle what the course and field will throw his way with two rounds to go.

“I’d be surprised if I didn’t feel the nerves a little bit, but I’m looking forward to the challenge tomorrow,” said Beal.

Earlier, Pendrith and Bull posted the clubhouse lead at 9-under, with a trio of players, including Order of Merit leader J.J. Spaun along with Longwood, Florida’s Sam Ryder and Zimbabwe’s Nyasha Mauchaza one shot further behind at 8-under.

“I’m pleased with the score today. I had three bogeys and they were pretty sloppy, but if you shoot 7-under with three bogeys you’re doing something right,” said Pendrith, who made just six pars but eight birdies and an eagle in a round of 64.

“It’s been a good two days. Today I just played solid and made a nice group of four birdies in a row on the back-nine and then made some good up-and-downs coming in on 16, 17 and 18, which helps to save a good score,” said Bull.

AALBORG, Denmark – David Horsey of England extended his lead at the Made in Denmark tournament on Friday, hitting a 4-under 67 to go three shots clear of countryman John Parry and Australia’s Richard Green.

Horsey, who had a one-stroke lead going into the second round, appeared in trouble after bogeys on Nos. 9 and 10. He recovered with birdies on the 11th, 15th and 17th holes at the Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort.

The Englishman is on 12-under 130 at the halfway stage.

“I’ve just been trying to stick to my own strategy and not be distracted by things going on around me and it seems to be working so far,” Horsey told the official European Tour website.

Two bogies on the last three holes saw Parry (67) finish at 9-under 133.

CAMLACHIE, Ont. – The Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship is set to begin at Sawmill Creek Golf Resort and Spa in Camlachie, Ont., from August 26-28. The 2015 edition of the event will see the debut of the Mid-Amateur division which has historically been held in conjunction with the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.

In addition to the 43^rd playing of the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship, competitors over 25 years of age will compete for the Mid-Amateur Championship, while the Mid-Masters division is open to players over 40. The 54-hole stroke play Senior Championship is open to amateur players over the age of 50 and the Super Senior division is open to competitors who are 60 years of age or older.

“The Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship will be an excellent showcase of Canada’s strong golf talent,” said Tournament Director Justine Decock. “We have had many Canadian Golf Hall of Fame members hoist the Ada Mackenzie Trophy and we will continue write the championship’s history this year at Sawmill Creek Golf Resort.”

This tournament has housed the talents of Canadian Golf Hall of Famers Marilyn Palmer O’Connor, four-time Canadian Women’s Senior Champion Gayle Hitchens Borthwick and World Golf Hall of Fame member Marlene Stewart Streit.

Defending her 2014 title will be Hélène Chartrand of Pincourt, Que. The 58-year-old defeated Mary Ann Hayward on the second playoff hole at Club de golf Milby in Sherbrooke, Que. Chartrand also captured the 2014 Mid-Master division at last year’s Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship hosted at Craigowan Golf & Country Club in Woodstock, Ont.

Three-time champion Mary Ann Hayward, 55, captured back-to-back Canadian Women’s Senior titles in 2010 and 2011 before adding her third in 2013. The Aurora, Ont., native is a member of both the Ontario and Quebec Golf Halls of Fame, and was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 2007. Hayward has four career victories at the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship and holds the distinction of being the first Canadian to win the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur title.

Also in this year’s field is 51-year-old, Thornhill, Ont., native Judith Kyrinis who recently competed in the 2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. In 2014, Kyrinis finished third at the Canadian Senior Women’s Championship and was runner-up at the 2014 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur.

Canadian Golf Hall of Famer and four-time Canadian Women’s Senior Champion Alison Murdoch, 65, of Victoria, B.C., along with two-time champion Jackie Little, 56, of Port Alberni, B.C., will look to add to their legacies at this year’s competition. Little and Murdoch finished in first and second place respectively at the 2015 British Columbia Senior Women’s Championship.

An inter-provincial team championship will take place in conjunction with the first two rounds of stroke play; Team Ontario won the championship by 16 strokes in 2014.

The champion of this year’s Canadian Women’s Senior division will gain an entry into the 2015 U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur at Hillwood Country Club in Nashville, Tenn., September 26 to October 1.

Additional information, including the full field and tee times, is available here.

Coquitlam, B.C. (Golf Canada) – Karine Icher shot a bogey-free 65 on Thursday to take a two-shot lead after the first round of the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open at The Vancouver Golf Club.

“My putting was very good, and I think today I’ve seen the hole bigger than the other days,” Icher said. “So sometimes you have days like that where everything works, so I’m quite happy with this one.”

Icher’s round was keyed by a stretch of six birdies in seven holes from holes 5-11 to move her from 1-under to 7-under.

“When you make some birdies like that in a row, you have more and more confidence and build some confidence through the round,” Icher explained. “Then it’s good for the tournament, for the season, for everything. I mean, it’s always nice to have some rounds like that where you don’t have so much questions. You know the club, you take the club, you hit the shot, and it’s close to the pin.”

Chasing Icher down will be two-time former champion Lydia Ko, who sits two back after an opening round 67, and a group of four players – Danah Bordner, I.K. Kim, Stacy Lewis and Pernilla Lindberg – who are all at 4-under-par.

Ko birdied the final two holes of her opening round to shoot a 5-under 67 to sit two behind the lead at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

“Yeah, hopefully that will give me good momentum tomorrow,” Ko said of her strong finish. “But playing in the morning and then afternoon tomorrow there is quite a bit of wait, but I’ve just got to keep the positive attitude going. Hit one shot at a time and just have fun out there.”

Three years ago, Ko burst onto the scene at The Vancouver Golf Club becoming the youngest winner in LPGA history at a mere 15 years, 4 months and 2 days in just her third LPGA event.

“I think the biggest difference is me. I don’t have the glasses, and I feel much older,” Ko said with a smile. “But it’s great to come back to a course where you’ve played well and the spectators have been great and they’ve been supporting me today, even in the practice rounds. It’s definitely a great where you feel really welcome.”

Ko has always felt welcome in Canada and admitted that her and her family nearly moved to area when she was younger.

“I just always feel very welcomed when I come to Canada,” Ko said with a smile. “I feel Canada is quite like New Zealand, so I love coming back here. When I was younger we nearly moved here.”

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., has been the early talk of the tournament on the heels of her historic victory this past weekend which earned her full membership on the LPGA Tour. Her steady play continued during Thursday’s opening round, firing a 2-under 70 to sit as the low Canadian with a share of 13th position. The 17-year-old admitted it was a special moment to stand on the first tee Thursday as a newly minted member of the LPGA Tour and fan favourite at The Vancouver Golf Club.

“It was cool. It was the first time as an LPGA member, right after the win last week, I really wanted to get another good number today, and 2-under, I’ll take it,” said Henderson. “The course wasn’t easy out there today, though Karine Icher is making it look that way. But I’m excited to get back out at it tomorrow. The crowds were unbelievable, and just to be back home in Canada and playing in front of them was really cool.”

Second-round action gets underway Friday at 7:04 am PT. Tickets are available at the gate and kid’s 17 and under are free.

OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – Canadian Austin James won his third consecutive match on Thursday to advance to the U.S. Amateur quarter-finals at the Olympia Fields Country Club.

The Bath, Ont., native started out the day squaring off against American Denny McCarthy in the morning’s round of 32. James came out of the gate hot, winning five of the first six holes to put the pressure on McCarthy, who currently holds the No. 10 rank on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR).

The Charleston Southern junior lost some momentum with a string of four consecutive bogeys, before bouncing back to close out McCarthy with a 3 and 2 victory.

James kept his foot on the gas in the afternoon’s round of 16 match against No. 3 seed Jake Knapp of Costa Mesa, Calif. They traded shots back-and-forth all match, with James holding a slight one-hole advantage at the turn.

The match was squared after a Knapp birdie on the par-4 11^th before James took advantage of two bogeys to earn the 2-up victory.

James is gearing up to face No. 22 seed Sean Crocker of Westlake Village, Calif., who is coming off a 20-hole victory. The match will begin at 1:30 p.m. CDT.

The championship will run three more rounds of match-play, concluding with a 36-hole final on Sunday.

Olympia Fields Country Club, a two-time U.S. Open venue, will host its first U.S. Amateur with stroke-play being conducted on the 7,037-yard South Course and match-play on the 7,234-yard North Course.

In 2014, Canadian Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., fell in the final 36-hole match to South Korea’s Gunn Yang, 2 and 1. Both finalists are usually invited to compete in the Masters tournament the following April, alongside exemptions into next year’s U.S. and British Opens.

Click here for full scoring.

Click here for round of 16 highlights.

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Tiger Woods kept saying his game was getting better, even though his results didn’t show it.

On his first day at the Wyndham Championship, his score finally did.

Woods had his best round in more than two years Thursday, shooting a 6-under 64.

Two-time heart transplant recipient Erik Compton, William McGirt and Tom Hoge shared the first-round lead at 62.

Morgan Hoffman, Jim Herman and Derek Ernst followed at 63, and Martin Kaymer, Davis Love III and Carl Pettersson joined Woods at 64.

It was Woods’ lowest score on the PGA Tour since a 61 in the second round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in 2013.

He and the others took advantage of a low-scoring day at what he called a “tricky” Donald Ross-designed course at Sedgefield Country Club that gave up bunches of birdies after morning showers softened the fairways and greens.

“When it’s like this,” Woods said, “you’ve got to throw darts and go low.”

And while Compton and McGirt threatened the tournament record, the clear story of the day was Woods.

That low score couldn’t have come at a better time for the biggest name in the sport.

He set the tone by holing a 54-foot chip shot on his first hole, the par-4 10th, for the first of his seven birdies.

“Finally,” he said, “I got something out of my round.”

Woods arrived insisting he was playing better than his recent results might indicate.

He had missed the cut in three straight majors and had not finished better than a tie for 17th at the Masters. He’s at No. 187 on the FedEx Cup points list and probably needs a win to move into the top 125 and earn a playoff spot.

Yet he said after last week’s early exit from the PGA Championship that those results belied the improvement he was making in his game.

“I know it’s crazy to say, but I wasn’t playing that poorly at PGA,” Woods said. “Any borderline shot (at Whistling Straits) I never got away with it, and that’s the way it goes. I felt like I was hitting the ball good enough and just kept progressing, and today was just a continuation of it.”

Especially on that first hole.

His shot from the left side of the green landed about 8 feet from the cup and rolled in.

“I went for the shot, and instead of playing something more conservative, the greens were hard and fast, and I wanted to play something long,” Woods said. “I got aggressive with it, and I went for it, and I pulled it off. … I could see it going in.”

Hoge, playing in the day’s final grouping, made a late charge up the leaderboard, closing his round with a 5-foot birdie putt on the 18th.

Compton, who started on the back nine, finished with a 29 on the front nine with seven birdies in that span.

“Any time you can break 30 in nine holes, you’re obviously doing something really cool,” Compton said.

It’s the latest positive for a 35-year-old who earned his tour card in 2012 – four years after his second heart transplant.

He’s chasing his first victory, and so is McGirt, who finished in a tie for eighth here last year. At No. 86 on the points list, McGirt is in virtually no danger of missing the playoffs.

Compton – who’s closer to the cutoff at No. 114 – is just trying not to lose any ground.

Meanwhile, for the others closer to the postseason bubble, things are a little more stressful.

Ernst, who’s at No. 178 and is playing in the final tournament of the 2-year exemption he earned for his lone victory – at the Wells Fargo Championship in 2013 – shot the best round of his four-year career.

But perhaps nobody’s dealing with more than Billy Hurley III.

Hurley’s first round came two days after he attended the funeral of his father, who died last week of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The 33-year-old Hurley is at No. 131 on the points list and is only here this week because he’s trying to secure his PGA Tour card for next year.

“It wasn’t really a hard decision” to play, Hurley said, “but it’s certainly hard to do.”

He said he nearly felt overwhelmed on the putting green, “almost didn’t know what I was doing in some ways” during his first handful of holes, then “scrambled my way around” the back nine.

By the end of his 69, Hurley said he “felt like almost a golfer again.”

Ottawa, Ont. – Ohio’s Ross Beal, Michigan’s Matt Harmon, and North Carolina’s Zack Byrd shared the clubhouse lead at 6-under when play was suspended due to inclement weather at 6:51 p.m. on Thursday, with co-leader and Mackenzie Tour rookie Mookie DeMoss still to finish the 18^th hole.

Byrd, the only of the three clubhouse leaders to have played in the rain, was teeing off on his final hole when heavy rain began.

“We stood on the ninth tee and saw it coming and all just quick-hit it off the tee box,” Byrd said. “My bag was just behind the eighth green with my rain gear, my umbrella, and everything so I hit and took off running and it started dumping after that.”

After struggling with the ninth hole in both of his practice rounds, Byrd went on to birdie it in the rain with a 25-foot putt to tie the leaders with a round of 65. He attributes the last-second birdie to a caddy’s familiar eye.

“Luckily, I’ve got a caddie who really knows the golf course,” Byrd said. “It was so dark that it was almost impossible to read putts and he said ‘trust me’ and he was spot on with the read.”

Harmon is making his first start on the Mackenzie Tour since finishing second on the 2014 Order of Merit and starting the season on the Web.com Tour. Harmon carded four birdies and an eagle for a bogey-free round. Despite the strong first round, the 30-year-old felt he didn’t play his best golf on Thursday

“I was pretty fourtunate to be bogey-free,” Harmon said of his return, adding that he was forced to make a bunker shot for par on the par-3 14^th hole.

As with Byrd, Harmon credited the familiarity with the course, having played at Hylands Golf Club and finished T25 last season, as the biggest factor towards a successful round.

“Just playing on courses I know is the biggest thing. I’ve spent three half-seasons up on the Web.com Tour and really haven’t played the same course more than one time. Getting out here, it’s familiar and that helps a lot,” said Harmon, last year’s Cape Breton Celtic Classic presented by PC Financial Champion.

Beal, fresh off victory in Tuesday’s official pro-am with an 8-under 63, was confident he could control the course despite the wind.

“It got pretty blustery but luckily I’m long enough that the down wind holes played short, and into the wind I hit almost every fairway so I was able to control it into the greens,” Beal said following his round of 65.

The Youngstown State University grad wasn’t convinced the Pro-Am success helped give him an extra boost though, noting that previous success in Tuesday outings hasn’t always translated to official tournament rounds.

“Including this one, I’ve won the past four Pro-Ams I’ve played in and I’ve made one cut out of those four,” Beal said, shaking his head.

For the rest of the field, Hylands Golf Club presented some challenges to open this year’s National Capital Open to Support Our Troops, with rain threatening and gusty winds throughout the day.

“It was very tough, very windy. You can’t miss fairways or greens out here, the wind definitely made it harder,” said Order of Merit leader J.J. Spaun of the conditions. “If you’re expecting it to play like how it did yesterday, you’re in for a rude awakening.”

Still, Spaun was pleased with how he managed it.

“You’ve just got to kind of accept it and fight through it,” Spaun said following a round of 67. “I’m very happy with where I’m sitting right now. Anything under par I feel like is really good out there.”

After leaving a 15-foot eagle putt on his final hole of the day short for the solo lead, Beal hopes the weather will calm down so that he can attack the course over the weekend.

“If it’s less windy I don’t see any reason why I can’t just fire at everything even more tomorrow.”

First, DeMoss – among 18 players yet to finish – will have to resume his opening round from the 18^th fairway.

The first round will resume at 7:30 a.m., pushing tee times for the second round back 15 minutes.

Coquitlam, B.C. (Golf Canada) – The strongest field in women’s golf will be joined by the strongest team in golf broadcasting as part of live coverage of the 2015 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, which will bring fans around the world into the action at The Vancouver Golf Club.

Compelling storylines, led by 17-year-old Brooke Henderson who last week became the first Canadian winner of an LPGA event since 2001, will entertain the up to 175 million households worldwide, in up to 160 countries that have the ability to tune-in.

Led by Terry Gannon and Hall of Famer Judy Rankin, the Golf Channel team will bring their first-class, insightful, and informed coverage to fans starting Thursday, August 20 at 3 p.m. PT.

“We are thrilled to partner with Golf Channel in delivering the excitement of the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open and the LPGA Tour to television audiences across the globe,” said Scott Simmons, CEO of Golf Canada. “Together with our partners at Canadian Pacific and the LPGA Tour, we look forward to working with the world’s most watched golf broadcasters to elevate the profile of the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open and showcase our championship to hundreds of millions of golf enthusiasts.”

In a special arrangement for 2015, TSN and RDS partner with Golf Channel to deliver additional domestic reach of the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open. TSN will air full-round, encore coverage of the first three rounds.  TSN will then air live, simulcast coverage of the Golf Channel broadcast of the final round on Sunday, August 23 beginning at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET.  TSN’s Rod Black joins Golf Channel’s team as host of the coverage, conducting in-studio interviews and delivering frequent updates on the Canadians in the field.  RDS will air daily French-language coverage of all four rounds, hosted by Michel Lacroix and Carlo Blanchard.

The Canadian Pacific Women’s Open features the LPGA Tour’s best golfers – including two-time champion Lydia Ko, top-ranked golfer Inbee Park and defending champion So Yeon Ryu.

Broadcast Schedule
See below for the broadcast schedule for the 2015 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open. The schedule is subject to change.

Thursday, Aug. 20 – First Round Coverage
•    Golf Channel: 3:00pm – 6:00pm PST / 6:00pm – 9:00pm EST
•    TSN2: 8:00pm – 11:00pm PST / 11:00pm – 2:00am EST
•    RDS2: 3:00pm – 6:00pm PST / 6:00pm – 9:00pm EST

Friday, Aug. 21 – Second Round Coverage
•    Golf Channel: 3:00pm – 6:00pm PST / 6:00pm – 9:00pm EST
•    TSN2: 8:00pm – 11:00pm PST / 11:00pm – 2:00am EST
•    RDS2: 3:00pm – 6:00pm PST / 6:00pm – 9:00pm EST

Saturday, Aug. 22 – Third Round Coverage
•    Golf Channel: 4:00pm – 7:00pm PST / 7:00pm – 10:00pm EST
•    TSN2: 8:00pm – 11:00pm PST / 11:00pm – 2:00am EST
•    RDS2: 4:00pm – 7:00pm PST / 7:00pm – 10:00pm EST

Sunday, Aug. 23 – Fourth Round Coverage
•    Golf Channel: 4:00pm – 7:00pm PST / 7:00pm – 10:00pm EST
•    TSN2: 4:00pm – 7:00pm PST / 7:00pm – 10:00pm EST
•    RDS2: 8:00pm –11:00pm PST / 11:00pm – 2:00am EST