NORTON, Mass. – Chris Kirk made three big putts and captured the biggest win of his career Monday in the Deutsche Bank Championship. Whether that was enough for U.S. captain Tom Watson to add him to the Ryder Cup team was the least of his concerns.

Kirk won for the second time this season. He went the last 37 holes at the TPC Boston without a bogey. He played the final two rounds with Rory McIlroy and outplayed the No. 1 player in the world. And he closed with a 5-under 66 for a two-shot victory in a FedEx Cup playoff event.

Was it enough to convince Watson that he was worthy of a captain’s pick?

“I certainly don’t feel entitled, or feel like I’m a shoe-in to get a pick,” Kirk said. “I’ve obviously really put myself into consideration, and it’s something that I would love to do. But like I’ve said before, the nine guys that made it are automatic. Those are the guys on the team. The other three? If you get in, it’s a bonus.”

Then he looked at the blue trophy next to him and considered what he had just achieved.

“Winning the Deutsche Bank and going to No. 1 in the FedEx Cup, and $1.4 million, that’s plenty for me for one day,” he said with a smile.

Watson announces his selections Tuesday evening in New York.

Ten shots behind after the opening round, Kirk was so disgusted that he skipped his usual practice session. He was flawless the rest of the week, particularly on Monday in another wild Labor Day finish at the TPC Boston.

Kirk made three big putts on the back nine – two of them for birdie – but what pleased him the most was his 15-foot putt for par on the 15th hole that kept him in the lead.

Billy Horschel had a chance to at least force a playoff – and possibly win – when he stood in the fairway on the par-5 18th hole with a 6-iron in his hand. Horschel chunked the shot so badly that it barely reached the hazard, and he made bogey for a 69.

“The worst swing I’ve made all week,” Horschel said.

Horschel tied for second with 54-hole leader Russell Henley (70) and Geoff Ogilvy, who extended his unlikely run through these FedEx Cup playoffs. Ogilvy was the last of the 100 qualifiers for the Deutsche Bank Championship. He went 65-65 on the weekend without a bogey.

The top 70 in the FedEx Cup advance to the BMW Championship in Denver later this week. Ogilvy went from No. 100 to No. 24, and now stands a reasonable chance of getting to the Tour Championship for the top 30.

Kirk won for the third time in his career, though never against a field this strong, and never with this much riding on it.

He was No. 14 in the Ryder Cup standings, five spots away from being an automatic qualifier. This victory could go a long way toward Watson using one of his three selections on the 29-year-old from Georgia. Last week, Hunter Mahan bolstered his Ryder Cup case by winning The Barclays.

Kirk was trying not to think about that, saying he already had plans to be at the Georgia-Tennessee game the weekend (Sept. 26-28) of the Ryder Cup. But he would gladly break those plans for a trip to Scotland for golf’s version of the Super Bowl.

“I would absolutely love to do it, but I’m not going to really base how happy I am with how I’m playing, or how my year has gone, on whether I make the team or not,” Kirk said.

McIlroy, who started the final round only two shots behind on a course where he won two years ago, fell back with successive bogeys on the front nine, bounced back with a pair of birdies, and then fell out of the mix by missing two short par putts early on the back nine.

He closed with a 70 and tied for fifth with John Senden (66).

Kirk took the outright lead for the first time with a 25-foot birdie putt on the 13th hole. And right when it looked as if he was struggling with his swing, he saved par from a bunker with a 15-foot putt on the 15th. On the next hole, he made a birdie putt from just over 12 feet that gave him a two-shot lead.

Kirk, who finished at 15-under 269, failed to make birdie on a par 5 in the final round. He made a weak attempt on his 8-foot birdie try on the 18th.

That left it to Horschel, in prime position for at least a birdie.

“When Chris missed his birdie, I thought I was going to hit it on the green. I thought I was going to make the putt and make the eagle and win it outright,” Horschel said. “But it just wasn’t my day, I guess, to hit that bad of a shot.”

A small consolation for Horschel was going from No. 82 in the FedEx Cup to No. 20, all but assuring a spot in the Tour Championship.

Six players moved into the top 70, though none was more surprising than Ogilvy. He became the first player in four years to go from No. 100 to the third playoff event.

On the Canadian front, David Hearn finished tied for 43rd at 3-under 281. Unfortunately, the result wasn’t good enough to get the Brantford, Ont. native into the FedEx Cup top 70 and advance to the next week’s BMW Championship.

End of one chapter, beginning of a new one #2015

— David Hearn (@HearnDavid) September 1, 2014

 

Weyburn, Sask.’s Graham Delaet finished behind Hearn at the Deutsche Bank – tied for 50th at 1-under 283 – but will finish the week 43rd on the FedEx Cup standings which will see him safety move on to next week.

When three of Europe’s biggest names failed to automatically qualify for the Ryder Cup team, the equation appeared simple for captain Paul McGinley as he prepared to select his three wild cards.

Stephen Gallacher didn’t read the script.

A slew of top-10 finishes this year may have helped the 39-year-old Scotsman lock down a wild-card selection for a Ryder Cup debut in his home country, leaving Lee Westwood, Luke Donald and Ian Poulter competing for two spots when McGinley announces his picks at the European Tour headquarters at Wentworth on Tuesday.

The other player in contention to play the United States at Gleneagles is Francesco Molinari of Italy.

The three chosen will join a team already packed with talent, including four of the top five in the world – Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson, Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia.

Westwood, Donald and Poulter have made up the backbone of Europe’s dominance of the event since 2002 but have struggled for form this year.

Not Gallacher.

He came up just short in his attempt to snatch the final automatic qualifying place from Graeme McDowell, finishing third in the Italian Open on Sunday when a top-two spot would have seen him make the team.

McGinley was in Turin to see Gallacher’s last-gasp push – the Scotsman finished 65-69-65 – and was impressed.

“His performance this week will very strongly be in his favor when it comes to making the picks,” McGinley said Sunday.

“This has been the toughest ever Ryder Cup team to make from a European point of view, in terms of points you need to amass to make the team, so he has been up against it,” McKinley added. “And for a rank and file guy from the European Tour, who doesn’t play in America and misses out on a lot of the ranking points as a result, to perform as well as he does is all credit to him.”

Gallacher is the form player of the five seemingly in contention, with eight top-10 finishes in 2014 including a win at the Dubai Desert Classic. He also showed his liking for Gleneagles by making a three-man playoff in a European Tour event at the course last year. The case for his inclusion is hard to resist.

Poulter will be difficult to leave out considering he usually saves his best performances for the Ryder Cup. He has 12 wins from 15 matches, and is on a seven-match winning streak – the last four coming at the “Miracle in Medinah” in 2012 when Europe came from 10-6 down on the final day to retain the cup.

Poulter sparked the recovery with a run of five straight birdies in the final fourballs match on Saturday to earn Europe a morale-boosting point. He needed a wild card from Jose Maria Olazabal two years ago and should get another one for Gleneagles.

Like Poulter, Donald – a former No. 1 and money-winner on both sides of the Atlantic in 2011 – is struggling for form on the PGA Tour as he comes to terms with changes to his swing. His second place at the RBC Heritage in April was his last finish in the top 30 on the tour.

But can McGinley overlook Donald’s brilliant short game and putting, as well as a record of 10 wins from 15 Ryder Cup matches? Donald has played in four cups – 2004, `06, `10 and ’12 – and Europe has won them all.

Westwood has played in the last eight Ryder Cups but also is far from his best at the moment.

He responded to calls from McGinley to show some form by shooting a final-round 63 at the Bridgestone Invitational last month before finishing tied for 15th at the PGA Championship the following week, but his Ryder Cup record isn’t as strong as Poulter’s or Donald’s and his short game isn’t as good.

“My selections won’t be a surprise,” McGinley said at the Italian Open. “It won’t be coming out of left field. I will be going by logic.”

McGinley will sit down with vice captains Des Smyth and Sam Torrance for one last time Monday to go over the players in contention.

Europe has won five of the last six Ryder Cups, and seven of the last nine stretching back to 1995.

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Bud Cauley won the Hotel Fitness Championship on Sunday to regain his PGA Tour card, earning $180,000 in the Web.com Tour Finals opener.

Cauley closed with a bogey-free 7-under 65 at Sycamore Hills for a one-stroke victory over Colt Knost. The 24-year-old former Alabama player won his first professional title.

“I’ve dreamt of winning golf tournaments on tour,” Cauley said. “It’s probably 80-20 between celebration and relief. It was a lot of fun today. Winning is what we aspire to do.”

Sidelined six weeks this summer after dislocating his left shoulder, Cauley birdied five of the first six holes and added birdies on the par-5 12th and 15th. He finished at 20-under 268.

“I knew I had to get off to a quick start and get a few of those (birdies) to get up with those guys and get near the lead,” Cauley said. “I knew a quick start was huge. … The whole day I was watching. I knew with the par 5s on the back that I needed to keep making birdies.”

Cauley was 143rd in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup standings, forcing him to play the Web.com Tour Finals for the second straight year. Nos. 126-200 in the FedEx Cup and Nos. 26-75 on the Web.com Tour’s regular-season money list are playing for 25 PGA Tour cards based on earnings in the four-event series, with Cauley earning more than enough Sunday to secure a spot.

He injured his shoulder in July in the John Deere Classic, and missed the cut in the regular-season ending Wyndham Championship in his lone start before the Finals opener.

“After sitting around home for a while, it’s nice to come out and play and play well and get my first win as a pro,” Cauley said. “Today was a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to playing next week.”

Knost, the third-round leader, shot 68, missing a 10-foot birdie try on the final hole. He earned $108,000 to wrap up a tour card after finishing 34th on the Web.com Tour money list.

“I got off to a shaky start,” Knost said. “The conditions were perfect and it was definitely get-able. It’s not like I went out and shot even-par or anything. I’m really proud of the way I played 18. I sucked it up and a really good iron shot in there. I gave myself a chance and I thought I hit a good putt.”

The top 25 players on the Web.com money list earned PGA Tour cards last week. They are competing against each other for PGA Tour priority, with regular-season earnings counting in their totals and the final leader getting a spot in The Players Championship.

England’s Greg Owen, 27th on the Web.com money list, finished third at 16 under after a 70. He earned $68,000, likely enough to get a card.

Sam Saunders, Arnold Palmer’s grandson, bogeyed the final hole for a 72 to tie for fourth at 14 under with Tom Gillis and Sweden’s David Lingmerth. They each earned $31,333.

Lingmerth, 134th in the FedEx Cup, finished with a 64. Gillis, 54th on the Web.com money list, shot 66.

Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C. was the lone Canadian to make the cut. He finished tied for 9th at 12-under 276.

Carlos Ortiz, the Mexican player who topped the Web.com money list, missed the cut. He won the regular-season finale in Oregon for his third Web.com victory of the season, making him fully exempt on the PGA Tour. He has earned $515,403 – $175,365 more than second-place Andrew Putnam.

Putnam tied for 12th at 11 under after a 67.

The Chiquita Classic is next week in Davidson, North Carolina, followed by the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship in Columbus, Ohio, and the Web.com Tour Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

PORTLAND, Ore. – Austin Ernst won the LPGA Tour’s Portland Classic on Sunday with a par on the first hole of a playoff against South Korea’s I.K. Kim.

It was the first professional victory for the 22-year-old Ernst, who shot a 5-under 67 in the final round to get to 14 under at Columbia Edgewater. Kim, the first- and second-round leader, carded a 68.

Ernst pulled into contention with a 5-under 31 on the front nine, highlighted by a chip-in eagle at the par-5 fifth. Kim made four birdies and no bogeys.

South Korean’s So Yeon Ryu and Chella Choi tied for third at 12 under. Ryu, last week’s Canadian Pacific Women’s Open winner, shot 70, while Choi had a 68.

Sue Kim of Langley, B.C. and Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont. finished as top Canadians with a share of 52nd at 1-under 287.

DOURO-DUMMER, Ont. – With a par on the fourth hole of a sudden victory playoff, West Des Moines, Iowa’s Nate McCoy captured The Wildfire Invitational presented by PC Financial over Burlington, Ont.’s Michael Gligic, securing his first career PGA Tour Canada win.

The 24-year old shot a final round 7-under 65 to post 19-under par, then watched as Gligic matched him with a birdie on 18 to tie and force a playoff. The two made a pair of pars on the par-5 18^th and then parred the par-4 10^th, before returning to the final hole. After Gligic found the deep fescue left of the green and made bogey, McCoy secured the win with a textbook par, securing his first victory as a professional.

“It’s pretty amazing. I don’t know if it’s going to sink in until a little later,” said McCoy, an Iowa State University graduate. “I went into the day thinking if I played well, I could at least content. To walk away with the championship is really kind of surreal.”

The win moves McCoy to No. 8 on the Order of Merit with two events left in the season, $4,776 behind the No. 5 spot as he looks to secure status on the Web.com Tour for next season. McCoy, who began the week 61^st on the Order of Merit, said he was looking simply to get inside the top 60 and secure exempt status on PGA Tour Canada for 2015.

“It changes a lot,” McCoy said. “Going in I was just trying to keep my card, now we’ll see how far I can go and maybe try to improve my position. Right now it’s icing on the cake compared to what I was at. To be able to give myself the chance to get some Web.com Tour status if I can finish off well would be nice.”

Starting the day four shots behind 54-hole leader Joe Panzeri, McCoy made three straight birdies on Nos. 9-11 to tie for the lead with Gligic, Bristol, Tennessee’s Jay Vandeventer, Yakima, Washington’s Brock Mackenzie and San Jose, California’s John Ellis, who birdied his first six holes to jump out into a share of the lead and would go on to finish fourth.

With two more birdies coming in, McCoy posted 19-under and watched as Gligic, who carded his second straight 66, matched him.

“I knew going into the day I needed a good one, and I did that. I played good coming down the stretch and there’s a lot of positives to take. I made a lot of putts coming down the stretch, and I can just build on that,” Gligic said.

Vandeventer had a chance to tie with a 4-foot birdie putt on the 18^th, but couldn’t find the cup. After McCoy and Gligic parred each of the first three playoff holes, Gligic put himself in trouble with his lay-up, had to pitch short of the green, then couldn’t convert an 8-foot par putt to keep the playoff going for a fifth hole.

“Michael’s a great player. I didn’t want to see him bogey that hole, but he’s a great guy and I really enjoyed playing with him,” said McCoy.

The win comes as the latest success in golf for the McCoy family, after father Mike McCoy’s victory at last year’s USGA Mid-Amateur Championship earned him a spot in The Masters Tournament, where Nate caddied for him.

“It’s nice having a dad that pushes me. I’m not really sure what he’s going to say, but it should be nice,” said McCoy, who also credited his wife Ashley, who caddied for him on PGA Tour Canada for much of the year before returning to work as a teacher in Iowa.

“She’s really been a strong anchor for me this year,” McCoy said. “It was a tough year last year and I had a tough stretch this year, and she was always there saying ‘You can play with these guys, and you put too much pressure on yourself, so just go play.’ She really has helped me a lot, more than she probably knows.”

Panzeri was unable to convert the 54-hole lead into victory for the first time in three attempts on PGA Tour Canada, carding a 74 to finish tied for 12^th. One shot behind Ellis in a tie for fifth were Langley, B.C.’s Adam Cornelson, who posted a career-best finish on PGA Tour Canada, and Saint-Georges, Que.’s Max Gilbert, who posted his first top-10 since a win at last year’s TOUR Championship of Canada presented by Freedom 55 Financial.

For the second week in a row, Gligic earned Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week honours along with a $1,500 prize. Gligic claimed the award last week as well, finishing solo fourth at The Great Waterway Classic.

Each week on PGA Tour Canada, Freedom 55 Financial honours the top Canadian on the leaderboard, with the top Canadian on the Order of Merit at season’s end taking Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Year and a $10,000 prize.

NORTON, Mass. – Russell Henley doesn’t get into contention as much as he’d like, though he is tough to beat when he’s anywhere near the lead.

Rory McIlroy seems to be there all the time.

They were among a host of contenders Sunday at the Deutsche Bank Championship, setting up the second straight week in the FedEx Cup playoffs that the final round resembles more like a free-for-all.

The difference at the TPC Boston is the presence of McIlroy so high on the leaderboard.

Henley ran off five birdies in a seven-hole stretch around the turn on his way to a 6-under 65, giving him a one-shot lead over Billy Horschel going into a Labor Day finish loaded with possibilities.

Ten players were separated by four shots. Six of them already have won on the PGA Tour this season.

And one of them – McIlroy – has won the biggest events.

McIlroy was dialed in with his swing and shot a 7-under 64 to get within two shots of the lead. He played with Chris Kirk, who also shot a 64 with birdies on his last two holes – a chip-in for birdie on a shot that would have gone 10 feet by the hole had it not banged into the pin, and an eagle putt that stopped an inch short on the 18th.

“I’ve been in this position quite a lot recently,” McIlroy said. “So I know how it’s going to feel tomorrow.”

Henley was at 12-under 201. He will play in the final group with Horschel, who birdied his last three holes for a 67.

Henley can look as good as anyone, and then he can disappear. He won the Sony Open last year in his first PGA Tour event as a rookie last year, and never seriously contended again. He won the Honda Classic in March in a four-man playoff that included McIlroy, and since then has missed eight cuts and has only two finishes in the top 20.

“I think I’m just still figuring it all out,” Henley said. “I feel like I’ve been working really hard on my ball-striking to keep the ball more in front of me. I always feel pretty good with my putter. The other thing I have to work on is my attitude, and not be so hard on myself.”

Jason Day, who started Sunday tied with Ryan Palmer, reached 12 under with a short birdie putt on the 13th hole. But he missed a short par putt on the 14th and hooked his tee shot into high grass and had to pitch out, leading to another bogey on the 15th. Day also failed to birdie the par-5 18th and shot 69.

Palmer took bogey on two of the par 5s and shot 71 to fall four shots behind.

McIlroy won the British Open, a World Golf Championship and the PGA Championship to assert himself at No. 1 in the world. He is coming off a pedestrian week at The Barclays – at least by his standards – where he started with a 74 and could never catch up.

So a round like 64 didn’t surprise him.

“It feels normal,” McIlroy said. “It feels like it’s what I’m supposed to do. It’s my job to go out there and shoot good scores. I’m not getting too excited about it. I’ve got a lot of work to do tomorrow if I want to win this tournament.”

Henley is one round away at securing his spot in the Tour Championship, and perhaps giving U.S. captain Tom Watson one more person to consider for a Ryder Cup picks. But that one round seems far away considering the leaderboard, especially with McIlroy.

“He’s obviously a tough guy to beat,” Henley said. “But like I said, there’s a lot of tough guys to beat. Rory has had a heck of a run and I’m sure he’ll continue that.”

Horschel is at No. 82 in the FedEx Cup and came to the Deutsche Bank hopeful of moving into the top 70 to advance to the BMW Championship next week. Now he’s in the final group and adjusting his goals. He emerged late with a tap-in birdie at the 16th, a tough 12-footer on the 17th and a wedge to 5 feet on the final hole.

Webb Simpson, among those under Ryder Cup consideration, overcame a double bogey to post a 68 and was three shots behind. Keegan Bradley also is in the hunt for one of the three captain’s picks. He made only two birdies on a soft day for scoring and had a 69, leaving him four shots behind.

DIVOTS: Geoff Ogilvy shot 29 on the back for a 65 and was tied for 11th. He would need somewhere around eighth place to advance to the next FedEx Cup playoff event. One week ago, Ogilvy figured he was done for the year until Troy Merritt made bogey on the final hole at The Barclays. Ogilvy was the last player to qualify for the Deutsche Bank Championship. … Patrick Reed started the third round two shots out of the lead. He made four double bogeys on the back nine for an 82 and was among seven players who missed the 54-hole cut. That group included Matt Every, who shot an 86. … Phil Mickelson had a 72 and remains on the bubble for advancing next week to Cherry Hills, where he won the 1990 U.S. Amateur. Canada’s Graham DeLaet is tied for 40th at 1-under 212.

CALGARY – Fred Couples beat Billy Andrade in a one-hole playoff on Sunday to win the Shaw Charity Classic at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club.

Couples chipped in for eagle from the back of the green of the par-5, 18th hole to set a new course record of 9-under 61.

Andrade then tapped in a short putt for an eagle on the 18th to card an 8-under 62 to pull into a tie with Couples at 15 under through three days of competition.

The pair then went back to the 18th tee for the playoff. Andrade went for the green in two and pulled his second shot right of the green and into the stands. After laying up, Couples chipped his third shot to within a foot of the hole.

After taking a drop, Andrade’s chip shot came up about 30 feet short of the hole. Andrade then missed his long putt to the left of the hole, before Couples tapped in his birdie putt and received a loud ovation from the large crowd surrounding the 18th green.

Steve Lowery and Joe Daley finished in a tie for third at 13 under, while Wes Short. Jr. shot a final round of 64 to earn sole possession of fifth place at 12 under.

Rod Spittle of Niagara Falls, Ont., carded a final round of even par to finish as the low Canadian in a four-way tie for 47th spot at 3 under.

Victoria’s Jim Rutledge finished one shot behind Spittle after shooting a 5-under 65 on the final day of the Champions Tour event.

Meanwhile, Calgary’s Darryl James shot a respectable 69 on Sunday, but still finished in second last at 8 over.

TURIN, Italy – Hennie Otto of South Africa held on to claim a second Italian Open victory by two shots on Sunday, while Stephen Gallacher came up just short of an automatic Ryder Cup spot after finishing third.

Otto, who won the event in 2008, shot a 4-under 68 to finish with a 20-under total of 268 and hold off David Howell, who surged up the leaderboard with a 63 to finish second. Howell opened with an eagle and added seven birdies to beat Gallacher (65) by one shot. Gallacher needed a top-two finish to dislodge former U.S. Open Champion Graeme McDowell from the automatic Ryder Cup places for Europe’s team.

It was only the 38-year-old’s Otto’s second tournament since his recovery from two back operations.

“I was playing well before the injury but it is a surprise to win so soon,” Otto said. “Golf is not perfect and to come back after the operations and win in my second week, I will take that any day.

“Today wasn’t easy because the guys played so well with some of them trying to get The Ryder Cup spots. I really hope Stevie makes it – he deserves it and has proved himself this week.”

Gallacher will now have to wait until Tuesday, when European captain Paul McGinley announces his three wild cards.

“It was a tall order but I am proud of myself the way I have played,” Gallacher said. “I’m delighted with 17 under, it looks just a little short but there is nothing I can do. … There are four or five guys that are worthy (of a wild card) so it’s just what Paul sees.”

PORTLAND, Ore. – Defending champion Suzann Pettersen shot her second straight 5-under 67 on Saturday for a share of the third-round lead in the LPGA Tour’s Portland Classic.

Trying to match Nancy Lopez’s record with her third victory in the event, Pettersen had an eagle, four birdies and a bogey at Columbia Edgewater. The fourth-ranked Norwegian star is winless this season after winning four times last year to push her career total to 14.

“I still feel the low one is out there. Got to go out tomorrow and just try to birdie as many holes as you can,” said Pettersen, who birdied Nos. 16 and 17.

The last five times Pettersen has led or had a share of the lead after three rounds, she has gone on to win.

“Tomorrow, just got to step on the pedal,” Pettersen said.

Spain’s Carlota Ciganda and South Korea’s Mi Jung Hur shot 70 to match Pettersen at 11-under 205. Ciganda bogeyed the par-4 18th to fall into the tie.

Ciganda is hoping to win her first LPGA Tour title in memory of Rogelio Echeverria, her long-time coach who died three weeks ago after a brief bout with stomach cancer.

“It would be unbelievable. I know he’s watching up there, and I would love to win for him. Everything I do from now on, it’s going to be for him,” Ciganda said.

On the final hole, she drove into a fairway bunker and missed a 6-foot par putt.

“Not the best, but I mean that’s a tough hole,” Ciganda said. “I hit it into a bunker and it wasn’t an easy shot, and I didn’t make the putt. Eighteen holes, I missed one hole.”

Hur won the 2009 tournament for her lone LPGA Tour victory.

“I think I hit only 10 greens today, but my putting was good. It saved me,” Hur said.

South Korea’s So Yeon Ryu and I.K. Kim and China’s Hi Yu Lin were a stroke back. Ryu, the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open winner last week, and Lin shot 70. Kim, the leader after each of the first two rounds, had a 74.

Colombia’s Mariajo Uribe, South Korea’s Eun Hee Ji, Denmark’s Line Vedel and Americans Austin Ernst and Laura Diaz were two strokes back on the crowded leaderboard at 9 under. Uribe shot 66, Ji 67, Vedel and Ernst 69, and Diaz 72.

Kim, who made 14 birdies during the first two rounds, took the lead after nine holes at 13 under, but slipped with bogeys on Nos. 11, 13 and 17.

“Just didn’t make putts,” Kim said. “I hit a lot of good tee shots. The greens were firm, and a lot of pins were in front, so I misadjusted and had a lot of downhill putts. I couldn’t be aggressive.”

Kim is trying to end a four-year winless streak on the LPGA Tour, although she won on the Ladies European Tour in July.

“I still have a chance, but I just not happy with how I kind of scored today,” Kim said.

Canada’s Rebecca Lee-Bentham is tied for 36th at 3-under 213.

Gigi Stoll, a senior at Beaverton High School who won the Portland Classic Amateur Open last week to earn a berth in the field, was even par after a 71.

South Korea’s Jeong Jang, who announced her retirement this week, was even par after a 75. Countrywoman Hee Won Han, also retiring, had a 74 to reach 2 over.

DOURO-DUMMER, Ontario – Meridian, Idaho’s Joe Panzeri managed a 4-under 68 on Saturday at Wildfire Golf Club to take a two shot advantage through 54 holes at The Wildfire Invitational presented by PC Financial.

The 28-year old will look to secure his third career PGA TOUR Canada victory on Sunday after reaching 16-under par through three rounds, two strokes clear of a group of seven players in a tie for second, including Canadians Max Gilbert, Chris Hemmerich, Justin Shin and Adam Cornelson as well as Americans Jeff Corr, Jay Vandeventer and Brock Mackenzie.

“I hit the ball really well, kept it and front of me and played smart golf,” said Panzeri. “The greens are so good out here, I’m just trying to hit fairways and greens because I feel like you can make putts.”

Panzeri will look to turn around what he admitted has been a disappointing year in 2014 on Sunday, and said he’s taken a fresh attitude into this week to return to the form that saw him finish sixth on the Order of Merit last season.

“It’s been a tough year. I had high expectations for myself and haven’t really done much at all,” said Panzeri, who currently sits 90^th on the Order of Merit with four made cuts in seven starts. “I had some talks with people back home and people out here, and just kind of changed my attitude a little bit. Instead of expecting it, I’m just working hard and sticking to a game plan instead of putting the pressure on myself. I just kind of relaxed and I’m trying to have fun.”

With rounds of 66-64-68 so far this week, Panzeri said he feels more comfortable on the course than he has all year, partly in thanks to a switch to an old, friendly flatstick on the greens this week.

“I was just messing around in the garage and grabbed a short putter I had played well with in college and it felt really good,” said Panzeri, who had been employing the broomstick anchoring method for his previous starts this year. “I just went with it, and it’s panned out well so far.”

With a host of chasers just behind him, Panzeri said he would lean on his experience on Sunday to try and stay ahead of the pack. Panzeri has converted a 54-hole lead into victory in both of his PGA TOUR Canada wins, taking a 3-shot lead through 54 holes at last year’s ATB Financial Classic and a 2-stroke advantage at the 2011 SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel to the house for wins.

“It’s a good opportunity. I’ve been in this position before a few times, and hopefully those will help me for tomorrow,” said Panzeri. “I can’t control what other guys do. My goal for tomorrow is just to go play golf, have fun and commit to my shots and do all that I can.”

Gilbert had the round of the day with 7-under 65, while 36-hole leader Adam Cornelson carded an even par 72 to fall back into a tie for second with Mackenzie, his playing partner, along with Corr, Shin and Hemmerich, who all carded 68s. Joining the group was Jay Vandeventer after a 69.

In order to defend his title at the TOUR Championship of Canada presented by Freedom 55 Financial in two weeks, Max Gilbert knows he’ll have to play some good golf, and soon. At 134^th on the Order of Merit, the 24-year old finds himself well outside the top-60 cutoff that will play in London and retain exempt status for 2015.

Through three rounds at Wildfire, it’s mission accomplished for Gilbert, who fired a 7-under 65 to post the round of the day and sit 14-under and tied for second.

“I’m very happy the way I played. I played better again today and we’ll see what happens. I need the same thing tomorrow,” said Gilbert. “It’s definitely my goal to be in London, so I need to play well here and next week too. I want to be there because it’s a great golf course for me.”

Gilbert won the season-ending event at Sunningdale Golf and Country Club last season in a Cinderella story, playing his way into the Order of Merit-only event with no status on PGA TOUR Canada, then shooting four rounds in the 60s to win by one. At Wildfire, his standout day was highlighted by three eagles, including a hole-out from 122 yards on the 14^th to put him 7-under on the day.

“I had it going,” Gilbert said. “The first one was a good putt, the second one was like a six- or seven-footer, but the feeling that I had after the 122 yards, it was perfect in the air. It said ‘go in,’ and it went in, so it was a good feeling.”