The sun continued to shine at Pheasant Glen Golf Resort in Qualicum Beach, B.C. for second round action at the CN Future Links Pacific Championship. For the second day in a row, a pair of Team Canada Development Squad members holds the lead with Grace St-Germain and Trevor Ranton alone atop their respective leaderboards.

After beginning the day in a four-way tie for third, St-Germain claimed sole possession of first on the strength of seven birdies, highlighted by a string of four straight on holes seven to 10. The Development Squad member’s second round of 1-under 71 has her at even par for the competition, two strokes clear of Euna Han, Janet Zhang and fellow Team Canada member Michelle Kim. Alisha Lau remains within striking distance, tied for fifth with Tiffany Kong at 4-over. Naomi Ko rounds out the Squad’s contingent at T17.

Ranton, who is in his first year as a member of the national Development Squad, was unable to match his first round course record of 7-under 65, but he still managed to build upon his lead. The Waterloo, Ont., native shot 3-under and now holds a six-shot advantage. A.J. Ewart, Khan Lee and Henry Lee are currently locked in a fierce battle for second place at 4-under 140, after tallying eight, seven and six second-round birdies, respectively.

Development Squad member Étienne Papineau sits just outside this group in a tie for fifth with Diego San Pedro at 2-under. The remaining national team junior boys are all positioned in the top-10; Patrick Murphy is T7, while A.J. Armstrong and Tony Gil hold shares of tenth place.

The top six competitors in the Junior Boys division will earn entry into this summer’s Canadian Junior Boys Championship. The tournament is set to be played August 3-6 at Summerlea Golf and Country Club in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Qué. Likewise, the top six Junior Girls will gain exemptions into the 2015 Canadian Junior Girls Championship, hosted at Deer Park Municipal Golf Course in Yorkton, Sask. from August 4-7.

The third and final day of competition will begin at 7:30 a.m. PT with the final group teeing off at 12:50 p.m. At the end of the day, two junior athletes will be crowned this season’s first CN Future Links champions.

For additional information and full second round results, please visit the tournament website.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Chris Kirk kept his cool during a rocky patch Saturday and made three straight birdies for a 4-under 68 that gave him a one-shot lead at The Players Championship going into the final round that is very much up for grabs.

That much was clear over the final hour on a TPC Sawgrass course that gave as much as it took.

Kirk went from out of the top 10 to a share of the lead in three holes. He had the lead to himself when Kevin Na three-putted for double bogey on the 18th hole.

What made Saturday so unpredictable was neither the Stadium Course nor the variety of shots, rather a leaderboard crammed with so many players that it was hard to keep track who was coming and who was going.

Ben Martin fell out of the lead with a bogey on the 18th for a 68, leaving him one shot behind along with Kevin Kisner (67) and Bill Haas (68). Justin Thomas was tied for the lead, but that was before the leaders teed off. The 22-year-old rookie set a Stadium Course record with 10 birdies in his round of 65 and was two behind, along with Sergio Garcia (67), Scott Brown (69), Canada’s David Heard (70), Jerry Kelly (72) and Na, who had to settle for a 72.

At the end of the day, 24 players were separated by four shots.

That included Rory McIlroy, the world’s No. 1 player, who had a 70 to stay in the mix.

“It seems like half the tour has a chance to win this thing,” McIlroy said.

Tiger Woods was part of the other half. He made the wrong kind of history Saturday by making two double bogeys on par 5s for the first time in his career, leading to a 75 that matched his worst score at the TPC Sawgrass. Woods was 13 shots behind and chose not to share his thoughts on the day.

He at least was in good company.

Woods was part of an All-Star cast at the bottom of the leaderboard. The last 10 players have combined for 153 wins on the PGA Tour and 27 majors. The top 10 going into Sunday have combined for 23 tour wins and no majors.

Adding to the dynamic is that three players within two shots of the lead are at The Players for the first time.

“We had a little survey of the first-timers – `Who do you pick besides yourself to win?’ – and I picked Ben Martin,” Kisner said. “No, man, everybody talks about pressure and nerves and all that, but we’ve been through it all. If we’ve gotten here, we’ve done tour school, we’ve won tournaments. Just because it’s a bigger stage doesn’t mean we’re going to (stink) all of a sudden. We’ll see what happens tomorrow.”

It starts with Kirk because he’s the 54-hole leader at 10-under 206.

Then again, it might not.

Rickie Fowler, who survived a double bogey and three bogeys for a 71, was in the group three shots behind. He will have played six or seven holes on Sunday before the last group hits their first tee shot. Thomas hit 7-iron from 192 yards into 3 feet for his 10th birdie of the day on the 18th hole to tie Na and Kelly before they started.

“It was one of the best rounds I’ve probably ever played in competition,” Thomas said. “To do it at a stage like this and a field like this and a golf course like this, to get back in the tournament was big.”

Woods, who said he was one round away from narrowing the gap on the lead, widened it. He hit a smother-hook off the tee at the par-5 second hole that bounced off a tree and settled in the rough 105 yards from the tee. His other double bogey was on No. 9, where he took three hacks out of the rough-covered mounds to advance the ball some 60 feet. He made only two birdies.

Playing with Woods was Canada’s Graham DeLaet. The Saskatchewan native moved 15 spots up the leaderboard Saturday in large part to to a miraculous eagle on the par-5 9th.

McIlroy was in reasonable position, and coming off a victory in the Match Play Championship last week, was one player expected to make a move. He had one birdie and two bogeys over his opening eight holes, which was moving in the wrong direction.

But he steadied himself on the back nine and was only four shots behind.

It was easy to press. The leaderboard looked like a California freeway at rush hour. Kirk was going in the wrong direction when he missed a short birdie putt on the 12th, and made bogeys on the next two holes.

“I had a chance to sort of lose it a little bit today,” Kirk said. “But I didn’t let it bother me, and thankfully was able to birdie the next three to pull out a great round.”

And now he gets to do it one more time, with a $10 million purse and five-year tour exemption riding on the outcome.

BEL OMBRE, Mauritius – George Coetzee holed out from the fairway for an eagle Saturday on the way to a 6-under 65 and a one-shot lead after the third round of the Mauritius Open.

Living up to his status as the highest-ranked player at the tournament, the South African added four birdies to that eagle on No. 7 to move to 11-under 202 overall. He moved clear of compatriot Thomas Aiken (68) and overnight leader Thorbjorn Olesen (70).

Denmark’s Olesen dropped off the top of the leaderboard for the first time at the tri-sanctioned European, Asian and South African tour event after making three bogeys along with his four birdies. Aiken collected six birdies but also dropped three shots.

It left Coetzee in position to clinch his third European Tour title and second this season after winning the Tshwane Open at his home course in Pretoria in March.

Coetzee started the round four shots behind Olesen but was ahead by the time he made the turn after going 5 under through his first nine holes. He sank a long birdie putt on No. 2, got up and down for another gain at No. 5, and sent a gentle wedge straight at the hole for his eagle. The ball bounced a couple of times and rolled in. He made another birdie at No. 9.

Coetzee kept it together on the back nine despite often struggling off the tee at Heritage Golf Club.

“As I walked off the course I told my manager I don’t know how I’m shooting under par the way I’m playing,” he said. “But obviously the course must suit my eye pretty well.”

Aiken made just his second bogey of the weekend at his first hole on Saturday, and despite two more drops on his back nine, he remained in contention.

Singaporean Mardan Mamat was fourth on 8 under ahead of a four-way tie for fifth at the inaugural event on the Indian Ocean island.

The Golf Lab and Canadian Golf Hall of Fame honoured member Lorne Rubenstein are giving away used Miura Irons to two (2) junior golfers.

“Lorne Rubenstein generously donated two sets of his gently used Miura Irons to us,” said The Golf Lab’s Bradley Lawrence. “We, in turn, would like to put these in the hands of two lucky junior golfers.”

In order to enter, contest entrants must be between the ages of 12 and 18.

Entrants should write a 500-word essay describing what golf means to them. Along with the essay, entrants must submit a current report card and golf resume which outlines any accomplishments.

Applications must be dropped off at The Golf Lab’s Satellite Location located at ClubLink’s DiamondBack Golf Club on Saturday, May 23rd or Sunday, May 24th between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Winners will be notified Monday, June 1st, and will also receive a free fitting from one of the Golf Lab Professionals.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Much like his entire career, Jerry Kelly was just another player on the golf course Friday at The Players Championship.

Tiger Woods kept the biggest gallery wondering how much longer they would see him when he flirted with missing the cut until he delivered a moment rarely seen of late. He made a putt that mattered, a 10-foot birdie that allowed him to stick around for two more days.

In the afternoon, Rory McIlroy made it easy on himself – by his standard at the TPC Sawgrass – with a dull round of 71 that kept him in contention. Dull can be good on the Stadium Course that meted out its share of punishment.

And the island-green 17th was wild as ever.

What most everyone missed was the 48-year-old Kelly carving up the front nine with five birdies that carried him to a 7-under 65, giving him the low round this week and share of the lead with Kevin Na.

“I enjoy adrenaline,” Kelly said. “I am 48. I know it almost ravages the body as much as it helps it as you start getting older, but I would like to hang out for another couple of days and have some fun with it.”

Kelly and Na, who settled down after a wild start for a 69, where at 8-under 136. Both have some history on this golf course.

Na was the 54-hole lead at The Players three years ago until he faded under intense scrutiny of serious swing issues.

Kelly had a two-shot lead over Woods in 2001 going into a final round that took two days to complete because of storms. Woods went on to win, and two weeks later he completed his grand sweep of the majors at Augusta National.

Fourteen years later, Kelly and Woods are in different roles.

“I figured I would have another chance at this golf course,” Kelly said. “I didn’t think it would be that long, but it’s just strange. This whole career has gone by in the blink of an eye.”

Kelly and Na were two shots clear of Rickie Fowler (69), Chris Kirk (68), Canada’s David Hearn (71) and Branden Grace (67).

Not much is left from all that star power on both ends of the draw at the start of the week.

McIlroy was in a featured grouping of the new generation, but the other two – Masters champion Jordan Spieth and Jason Day – now are old news. Spieth spent too much time trying to save par and finished with a meaningless bogey for a 72 to miss by three shots. Day started the second round tied with McIlroy and had two 7s on his card within four holes. He closed with a double bogey for an 81.

Phil Mickelson, who played in the group ahead of Woods, had two 6s and a 7 on his way to a 76 to miss the cut for the third straight year.

“I was thinking to myself as I was walking around, `I can’t believe I’ve actually won here,’ you know?” Mickelson said.

Woods, in his first start since he showed a remarkable short-game recovery at the Masters, hovered around the cut line most of the day until he got to the par-5 ninth for his last hole. He choked up for a soft pitching wedge to 10 feet, made the birdie and showed the kind of emotion he once reserved for big shots and big moments.

That gave him a 71 for even-par 144, making the cut on the number.

Given the nature of the Stadium Course, and the quality of the field, making the cut on the number means he was only eight shots out of the lead.

“I feel like I’m playing well enough to get myself up there,” Woods said. “I just need one good round and narrow up that gap between myself and the lead, and I feel like I can do that.”

Woods will be paired with Canada’s Graham DeLaet Saturday.

Na was a different player in 2012. He was vilified for his slow play, which he attributed to having the yips with his swing. He simply couldn’t take the club back, and there times that when he did, he would purposely swing over the ball so he could start over. It was difficult to watch. It was even harder on Na.

But he has battled through it and came into The Players at No. 22 in the world ranking.

“I think I’m mentally tougher because I had gone through that, and I’m a lot more happier,” Na said.

Fowler was poised to close in on the lead until his approach on the par-5 16th drifted too far right and went into the water for a bogey. Fowler bounced back with a birdie on the island green at the par-3 17th, and he had a 3-foot birdie attempt that fooled him on the 18th.

Even so, he was two shots behind and brings a little extra motivation with him. In a magazine survey of players, in which they didn’t have to give their names, Fowler and Ian Poulter tied with 24 percent of the vote for the most overrated on tour. Fowler has won twice worldwide and is No. 13 in the world, mainly on the strength of his four top-5 finishes in the majors last year.

“If there’s a time where I need something to kind of give me a kick in the butt, then I can think of that and it will put me in the right frame of mind to go out there and take care of business,” Fowler said.

The Pacific edition of the CN Future Links Championships began today on the sun-soaked links of Pheasant Glen Golf Resort in Qualicum Beach, B.C. Team Canada Development Squad members Trevor Ranton and Alisha Lau took advantage of the ideal course conditions to top the leaderboards of the Junior Boys and Junior Girls divisions, respectively.

Ranton, a Waterloo, Ont., native, potted nine birdies en route to a 7-under 65 performance to lead the field of 72. The Team Canada Development Squad member sits four strokes clear of Khan Lee of Surrey, B.C., who was only one of five junior boys to notch an eagle on the day. Rounding out the top three at 2-under was Henry Lee of Coquitlam, B.C.

Team Canada`s Development Squad fared well on the first day of the tournament. A.J. Armstrong is in a four-way tie for fourth after a round of 1-under par. Squad members Patrick Murphy and Étienne Papineau carded even-par 72s for shares of eighth, while Tony Gil began the tournament at 2-over.

A pair of Richmond, B.C. products are atop the standings on the Junior Girls side of the competition. Development Squad member Alisha Lau tallied three birdies on the back nine to finish 1-under 71 to match Janet Zhang`s opening round. As part of a four-way tie for third with Mary Parsons and Esther Subin Lee are national team Development Squad members Grace St-Germain and Michelle Kim. Naomi Ko, the final Team Canada member in the competition, finished the round at T20.

The CN Future Links Pacific Junior Boys champion and those placing second to sixth will earn entry into the 2015 Canadian Junior Boys Championship, to be played August 3-6 at Summerlea Golf & Country Club in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Qué. Their six Junior Girls counterparts – the winner and the first to fifth runners-up – will gain exemptions into the 2015 Canadian Junior Girls Championship; Deer Park Municipal Golf Course in Yorkton, Sask. will play host to the tournament from August 4-7.

The second day of competition will see the Junior Girls tee-off at 7:30 a.m. before the Junior Boys take to the course at 11:30 a.m. Additional information and complete opening round results can be found here.

COURTENAY, B.C. – With a final round 3-under 69, Bear Delaware’s Eric Onesi earned medalist honours at PGA Tour Canada’s British Columbia Qualifying Tournament, finishing with a two-stroke advantage over Kansas City, Missouri’s Michael Letzig and Galloway, Ohio’s Ethan Tracy.

44 players in total earned status on PGA Tour Canada for 2015, including five Canadians. Onesi joins fellow Q-School medalists Albin Choi and Julien Brun and will be exempt on PGA Tour Canada for the 2015 season.

“I hung in there. It’s been a long time coming and I’m kind of at a loss for words, but it feels good,” said Onesi.

The Old Dominion University graduate found himself with a three-stroke advantage over Tracy with three holes to go, and after slipping with a double bogey on the 16^th, rebounded to birdie the 18^th and secure a two-stroke victory.

After having conditional Web.com Tour status in 2011 and 2012, Onesi took time away from competing over parts of the past two years, serving as a caddie at Bay Hill Club and Lodge and working on his game. With a refreshed perspective, the 27-year old decided to take on 2015 in the pro ranks again, and will be able to plan out his season on PGA Tour Canada.

“It’s huge. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to set my schedule with a couple of up-and-down years,” said Onesi. “To nail that down and be exempt through all 12 events puts a big smile on my face. It’s one of the best days of my golfing career for sure.”

Letzig, a veteran of 114 events on the PGA Tour, carded a final round 69 to share second place with Tracy, who was unable to convert the 54-hole lead into victory.

Strathmore, Alberta’s Stuart Anderson and Edmonton, Alberta’s Wilson Bateman were low Canadians, both finishing in a tie for eighth at 6-under.

Olympia, Washington’s Cameron Peck emerged victorious in a 6-for-1 playoff, going birdie-par on the 10^th and 17^th holes in Sudden Victory to earn the 18^th spot and exempt status through the first six events of the 2015 season.

Five Canadians earned status for 2015 – Stuart Anderson (Strathmore, Alta./T8), Wilson Bateman (Edmonton, Alta./T8), Thomas Hay (Langley, B.C./T24), James Allenby (Langley, B.C./T28), Ben Itterman (White Rock, B.C./T34).

BEL OMBRE, Mauritius – Thorbjorn Olesen made five birdies in six holes Friday on his way to a 3-under 68 and a one-shot lead after the second round of the Mauritius Open.

Olesen’s run from No. 4 to No. 9 propelled him to 9-under 133 overall at Heritage Golf Club on the Indian Ocean island. It’s the Dane’s first tournament in three months after hand surgery.

Olesen leads Pelle Edberg (66) halfway through the new, tri-sanctioned European, Asian and South African tour event. Thomas Aiken (66), Dean Burmester (68) and Matthew Fitzpatrick (67) were tie for third, another shot back.

Kiradech Aphibarnrat, the Race to Dubai’s highest-ranked player in Mauritius, withdrew after an opening-round 77.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The biggest star at The Players Championship was not Rory McIlroy or Jordan Spieth playing together in the morning. And it wasn’t Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods in back-to-back groups in the afternoon.

It was the TPC Sawgrass all day long in another round of big numbers, curious shots and endless entertainment.

Charley Hoffman was among four players tied for the lead at 5-under 67. He was thrilled with his eight birdies, the most of anyone Thursday. What turned a great day into a very good one was that triple bogey out of nowhere right after he made the turn.

How does one make a 7 on the usually harmless first hole?

“Pardon my French,” Hoffman began, before using a familiar English word not fit for print to describe all seven of his bad shots. In fairness, the seventh shot was good. He made a 4-foot putt to keep it from being an 8.

David Hearn of Canada, Hideki Matsuyama of Japan and Kevin Na also had 67. Each made only one bogey. It was boring, which never hurts around here.

McIlroy also had a boring round by his standards – two birdies, an eagle, one bogey for a 69. It’s a rare occasion when he’ll call that a good day.

“I think that’s what this course is all about,” McIlroy said. “It’s about staying patient. There’s a lot of pars on my card, but I was able to pick off a couple of birdies and a nice eagle on 16. I’m happy with the start, for sure.”

Spieth wasn’t so fortunate. He was 40 yards away from the green at the par-5 11th and used a wedge three times to get on the green. That doesn’t explain the horrible lie he had in the grass, followed by the lie in the sand just below the lip of the bunker. He shot a 75, matching his worst score of the year.

“Just a really, really poor day,” Spieth said.

Woods hit a tee shot on a par 3 that went into the water, which is not unusual. But it wasn’t on the island-green at the 17th. It was at No. 8, with a clunker that found a creek some 40 yards short of the green. Woods didn’t even know there was water on that hole.

“I’ve never seen it,” he said after a 73.

At least one player made a 7 or worse on 10 of the holes on the Stadium Course. Brooks Koepka made a 7 on the 17th by putting two balls into the water. And then he made an 8 on the next hole by putting only one ball in the water. He played the other 16 holes in 1 under.

The Stadium Course at the TPC Sawgrass holds a certain mystique after more than three decades. Even in reasonable conditions – warmth, sunshine and a little wind – no one fared better than a 67.

After 12 hours of theater that Sawgrass so often provides, they return to repeat the process.

There was more energy than usual for a Thursday morning, especially with Woods and Mickelson (73) playing in the afternoon. McIlroy is No. 1 in the world and coming off a win at the Match Play Championship, while Spieth became the de facto challenger with a dominant Masters win that moved him to No. 2 in the world.

They warmed up next to each other on the range. And it was clear from the start this day would be a solid one for McIlroy, not so much for Spieth. Along for the ride was Jason Day, who isn’t exactly on the B-list of rising stars. Day, who jokingly described himself as the third wheel, had a 69 with a double bogey on the 18th.

“I’ve got to beat those guys, but I think the biggest thing is not beating myself,” Day said.

Big numbers can be found anywhere, though. Hoffman didn’t see his coming.

“Obviously, you don’t ever want to take a triple, double, quad, whatever it is,” Hoffman said. “But at least I gave myself time to get them back. It’s better than doing it on the 72nd hole, I can guarantee you that.”

The 18th hole was no picnic after a long day. Mickelson hit the wooden plank and went into the water for a double bogey. He shot 73 with five birdies. Adam Scott wasted a reasonable start by finding water for a double bogey on the 18th. Woods hit into the water and made double bogey.

Two dozen players broke 70, while 76 players in the 144-man field were at par or better.

Spieth, who also had a 75 when he missed the cut at Torrey Pines, felt something wrong with his alignment when he arrived Monday, and he still hasn’t sorted it out. He got behind quickly, and that didn’t help. Most telling of his day was No. 11.

His second shot was left of the green in a grass bunker, the ball sitting so far down in the grass that Spieth walked up to it and said, “You’ve got to be kidding me.” With a full, powerful swing, he advanced it some 50 feet – from a regular lie, that shot would have gone 110 yards – to just under the lip of a bunker. It was another bad lie, and he only advanced the next one 18 feet to the collar.

“It’s just one of those days where I started maybe looking into it a little too much rather than just accepting it and going forward,” he said. “Just going to have to find some answers.”

COURTENAY, B.C. – Galloway, Ohio’s Ethan Tracy maintained his three-shot lead at PGA Tour Canada’s British Columbia Q-School on Thursday, carding a 4-under 68 to reach 14-under par through 54 holes at Crown Isle Resort and Golf Community.

The 25-year old will head to Friday’s fourth round three-strokes ahead of Bear, Delaware’s Eric Onesi in the chase to earn medalist honours and exempt status on PGA Tour Canada for 2015.

“I’m not making a whole lot of birdies, but I’m just keeping it consistent and giving myself a lot of good looks,” said Tracy, who made just one bogey against five birdies on the day. “I can’t really pinpoint it on anything, but in this tournament I’m really minimizing my mistakes and not having to grind over any par putts.”

The Ohioan came into the week on a streak of solid play, with top-10 finishes in each of his last two PGA Tour Latinoamérica starts, including a tie for second at last week’s Lexus Panama Classic presented by World Jewelry Hub. With one round to go, Tracy said he’s hoping to keep the solid play going for one more round.

“I don’t think I need to change anything up. I just need to keep it in the fairway and try to hit as many greens as possible. If you’re hitting 12 or 13 greens a round, you’re going to make a few birdies and you’re not going to make many bogeys,” said Tracy.

Onesi carded a 6-under 30 on his first nine holes and finished with a 67 to hold solo second place, while London, England’s Charlie Bull managed a 3-under 69 to sit four shots back at 10-under.

Wil Bateman of Edmonton is the low Canadian heading into the final round. He carded a 71 Thursday and has a share of 9th.