OTTAWA, Ont. – After shooting a 1-under 70 at Hylands Golf Club on Saturday, Leicester, England’s Greg Eason will look to go wire-to-wire at the FORCES & FAMILIES OPEN and earn his first PGA Tour Canada win in Ottawa.

The 22-year old rookie countered three bogeys on the day with four birdies to jump to 14-under par through three rounds at Hylands Golf Club, three strokes clear of fellow Englishman Kelvin Day, Canadians Peter Campbell and Jordan Krantz and American Jeff Dennis.

“I couldn’t do anything wrong the first couple of days. Today I hit some sloppy shots. The short game was good and got me out of trouble a few times,” said Eason, who pulled ahead of the field by as many as four shots before making one final bogey following an errant drive at the 18^thhole. “It would have been nice to par the last. I didn’t hit it great today. It was a bit of a grind and it felt like a long day, but I’m really pleased to get under par out of it and put myself in a good position for tomorrow.”

The University of Central Florida grad finds himself in the final group for the second time in three events on PGA TOUR Canada, after finishing one shot behind Wes Homan at the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel three weeks ago. With a strong pedigree at UCF, where he was named an All-American as well as American Athletic Conference Player of the Year in his final season, Eason says he expects to be comfortable in the heat of battle on Sunday.

“I think that winning is winning, and contention is contention. Luckily I was able to put myself in that position a few times in college, so I’m going to know what to expect and hopefully I’ll be able to see it through,” said Eason, who won six times in his four seasons in college. “I’ve kind of been there before in college, and it’s still golf. I know we’re all professionals now, but it still is golf and you’re still trying to put the ball in the hole, so hopefully it will be no different.”

Dennis, who calls Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida home, was Eason’s closest pursuer late in the day, but after a bad drive at the 18^th, struck the flagstick with his third shot and watched his ball spin off the green, leading to a bogey.

“I played steady. I got some good breaks in the beginning, and I guess it all evens out after 18. I’m in the mix so all I can do is go out and play tomorrow,” said Dennis.

Krantz, a native of Vermillion Bay, Ontario, briefly tied Eason for the lead at 13-under earlier in the day, but made double bogey at 18 to drop back into a tie for second with fellow Canadian Peter Campbell of Baddeck, Nova Scotia.

Day will play alongside Eason in an all-English pairing on Sunday after shooting a 5-under 66. North Vancouver, British Columbia’s Eugene Wong, who shot a 10-under 61 on Friday to hold second place through 36 holes, fell to a 4-over 75 to drop to a tie for 14^th.

Baddeck, Nova Scotia’s Peter Campbell made the switch from a long to a short putter before the FORCES & FAMILIES OPEN, and the results have paid off for the 31-year old, who sits tied for second at 11-under after a 4-under 67 in round three.

“I’ve been hitting it great all year, it’s just my putter has been really killing me. This week I’ve made a lot of putts, so confidence is rolling now, so I’ll just try to keep it going,” said Campbell. “I played steady all day long. I didn’t get myself into any trouble.”

Campbell has been a world traveler in 2014 after securing medalist honours at NEC Series – PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Q-School this winter. In seven starts there, he has three top-25 finishes, including a T2 finish at the Mundo Maya Open. Campbell said the experience has been ultimately helpful as he looks to make his way up the professional ranks.

“It’s been different. It’s been a lot of learning how to travel, managing my time. I’ve got a wife and daughter back home, so that’s tough being away, but you manage and deal with it the best you can. It’s been fun so far for sure.”

GLEN COVE, N.Y. – Kristen Gillman and Team Canada’s Brooke Henderson won semifinal matches Saturday to advance to the 36-hole final in the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Nassau Country Club.

The 16-year-old Gillman, Austin, Texas, beat 15-year-old Andrea Lee of Hermosa Beach, California, 4 and 3. Henderson, the 16-year-old Canadian who is No. 2 in the world amateur ranking, edged 16-year-old Hannah O’Sullivan of Paradise Valley, Arizona, 1 up.

“It feels awesome,” Gillman said. “Coming into this week that’s all you wanted. It feels great to accomplish that.

Gillman is coming off an 11-stroke victory last week in the Junior PGA Championship.

“It helped me a lot about all the momentum and just the confidence I had in my game,” Gillman said.

Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ont., is trying to become the third Canadian winner in tournament history, following Marlene Stewart in 1956 and Cathy Sherk in 1978.

“It’s amazing. I’m really excited to play tomorrow,” Henderson said. “As I said earlier, I still have a lot of work to do. It’s exciting to be in the final. Best finish previous to this week was round of 32, so it’s great to have a chance to win and contend for the title.

“Definitely going to play my game, be smart about decisions. Match play is really different from stroke play. You’ve got to be really careful and smart.”

Henderson overcame an early two-hole deficit. She took the lead with a birdie win on the par-4 14th and matched O’Sullivan with pars on the final four holes.

“She was playing really well,” Henderson said. “She’s a great player and she has a great future ahead of her. It was a lot of fun out there. I made a couple mistakes early that got me 2 down, but I was able to fight back, and that’s really key to learn how to do that.”

Michelle Wie announced today that she will miss three to five weeks of competitive golf due to a stress reaction in a bone of the index finger on her right hand. After withdrawing from this week’s Meijer LPGA Classic, Wie was examined by hand surgeon Dr. Tom Graham at the Cleveland Clinic, who made the diagnosis and will consult with Michelle on her return to golf this year.

“I was looking forward to playing the next three weeks,” said Wie, who will now miss the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open at London Hunt and Country Club. “It’s honestly one of my favorite stretches on tour. It’s extremely disappointing to miss these events, but I am relieved to have a proper diagnosis.”

“Michelle has developed an ‘acute-on-chronic’ injury influenced by the volume in which she practices and plays,” said Dr. Graham. “Michelle is very aware of her body and was keen to pick up on this injury before it may have created a more severe problem.”

“Seven years ago, I would have tried to play through this injury and it is important to me not to make that mistake again,” Wie added. “I feel more comfortable now listening to my body and, while it’s hard to miss this stretch of events, I know I will be better suited to continue a great year and finish strong.”

Graham described that injuries of this severity typically requires about three to five weeks of limited practice and play before returning to competition. He also treated Wie several years ago when she broke her wrist.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – At No. 7, Tiger Woods bent over so gingerly to pick up his tee that you wondered whether he’d get back up.

At No. 8, he leaned so heavily on his putter while retrieving a ball from the cup that the shaft bowed like a guitar string.

By then he was 3-over par for the day, a half-dozen strokes on the wrong side of the cut line with a still-sore back and one foot already out the door. Sympathy for Woods might be in short supply, but it was still sad to watch.

Sadder still, we might look back someday and remember what happened at this PGA Championship as his Willie Mays moment.

Like Woods, Mays was the greatest player of his era. But Mays was already 41 and a shell of what he used to be by the time he returned to New York to play his final two seasons for the Mets. In Game 2 of the 1973 World Series, he stumbled and fell trying to run down a ball in the outfield and said not long after, “growing old is a helpless hurt.” He batted in Game 3 and never appeared in a major league contest again.

Woods may not be done winning majors, but he’s close. He’s 38 and the physical breakdowns are gradually piling up closer together, like some slow-motion car crash. The days when he was better than everyone with every club in the bag are a fast-fading memory. He drives the ball erratically and can’t make short putts when they matter most.

Woods said Friday after shooting a second consecutive 74 that his back nearly went out on him while practicing on the range. If nothing else, his performance on the golf course afterward made that easy to believe. He made only one birdie in the first round – holing out from 100 feet with a wedge – and didn’t make his first conventional birdie until he rolled in a 12-footer on No. 15 in round two. About the only time he looked out from under the bill of his cap and up at the gallery was to acknowledge a warm ovation for his third and final birdie at No. 18.

Afterward, Woods said most of the same things he’s been saying a lot the last few years. He needs to get stronger. He needs to fix some technical flaws. His game is close to coming back together. The only revealing thing Woods said was when someone asked whether he felt old.

“I felt old a long time ago,” he replied, smiling. “It’s darn near 20 years out here.”

Golf desperately needs Woods, but now the converse is true, too. That much was clear when he rushed back to play in this tournament just a few days after he withdrew from last week’s barely able to bend over far enough to tie shoes.

Speculation ran the gamut earlier this week on what Woods genuinely hoped to accomplish: win the tournament, impress U.S. Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson enough to make the team as a wild-card pick, get enough face time to add another sponsor to his dwindling stable – take your pick. No matter what his real motivation was, he’s leaving town empty-handed yet again. He hasn’t contended on the final nine of a major since that November day in 2009 when his SUV careened out of control down the driveway of his Florida mansion.

Woods’ critics were out in force long before then. Some portion of the audience found him too arrogant right from the start, and even after he ascended to the top of the game and tournament after tournament put on the best show in sports. Another big chunk peeled off after the scandal. Every time he’s humbled – and despite a combined eight tour wins in 2012-13, there have been no shortage of those instances – Woods gets carpet-bombed on social media and barroom conversations.

Where he goes from here is anyone’s guess. Woods said he has no idea what his schedule the rest of the year looks like. Asked what he’d tell Watson if he calls about the Ryder Cup, Woods was glib.

“I don’t know,” he replied. “He hasn’t called.”

At this point, Watson shouldn’t bother. The soon-to-be-65-year-old captain didn’t make the cut, either, but he still beat Woods here, and at last month’s British Open to boot.

Woods wasn’t waiting around in any case. Not long after his round was done, he threw his golf shoes, along with the rest of his gear in the back of a car, and slipped into a pair of sneakers – this time without even bothering to tie the laces.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Rory McIlroy goes to the weekend of the PGA Championship with a one-stroke lead.

It seems bigger than that.

Such is the state of McIlroy’s game.

“When I’m playing like this, it’s obviously very enjoyable,” he said after a 4-under 67 on Friday. “I can’t wait to get back out on the course again (Saturday) and do the same thing all over again.”

Jason Day and Jim Furyk are right on his heels, but the Aussie acknowledged that it will be tough for anyone to beat McIlroy.

“I’m clearly not the favorite,” Day said. “This whole year he’s been playing great. He looks confident. He’s hitting the ball longer and straighter than pretty much everyone in the field. It’s going to be tough to beat him.”

Here are things to watch for in the third round of the PGA Championship:

OH CANADA: Graham DeLaet starts Saturday just 4-shots back of McIlroy despite injuring his neck prior to his round Friday. “I kinked my neck pretty bad, I wasn’t able to really move,” said DeLaet.  “If you’d asked me this morning, I thought I was going to miss the cut.  I didn’t think I was going to be able to get it around.  A bunch of Advil, some Tylenol. I made a few good putts today, just kind of bunted it around.  Some days when you don’t have any expectations, you never know what’s going to happen.”

RORY’S QUEST: Tiger Woods was the No. 1 player in the world when he won the 2000 PGA Championship at Valhalla for his third straight major. McIlroy isn’t that far along, though he does have a small slice of history at stake if he can win the Wanamaker Trophy. McIlroy is trying to become only the seventh player to win the last two majors of the year, and the first since Padraig Harrington in 2008. Woods did it twice. It would be McIlroy’s fourth major. The only other players to have won four majors before age 26 were Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Bobby Jones, Willie Anderson and Young Tom Morris.

YOUNG GUNS: Jason Day and Rickie Fowler are not yet among the best players to have never won a major. But they might be the best young players without one. And they keep giving themselves chances. Day won the Match Play Championship in February until a thumb injury derailed his year. The 26-year-old Aussie appears to be in form again after the low score of the second round, a 6-under 65 that put him in the final group. Day has been runner-up three times in a major, most recently at the U.S. Open last year. Fowler shot a 66 and was two shots behind McIlroy. He is no stranger to being in contention at the majors on the weekend. Fowler, 25, played in the final group at the last two majors and was runner-up in both. He is the first player since Woods in 2005 to finish in the top five at the first three majors of the year.

LEFTY’S SURGE: Phil Mickelson has been mired in his longest losing streak since 2003. But it looks as though he has found his game. Mickelson shot a blistering 62 in the final round at Firestone, and it has carried over to his best 36-hole start in a major since winning the 2005 PGA Championship at Baltusrol. Mickelson opened with a 69 and eagled the final hole Friday for a 67. Lefty is looking for his first victory since capturing the 2013 British Open at Muirfield. Mickelson has several agendas this weekend, one of which includes locking up his spot on another Ryder Cup team. He already holds the record by qualifying nine times in a row, and he doesn’t want captain Tom Watson to have to use a wild-card pick this time.

PART-TIME STRICKER: Steve Stricker will be an assistant captain for the U.S. Ryder Cup team. But first, he has to take care of some business at the final major of the year. The 47-year-old Stricker, who became a part-time player last year to spend more time with his family, still has plenty of game. He shot 68 Friday and was four strokes off the lead heading to the weekend. He has been a top-10 finisher in the majors 11 times, most notably a runner-up finish to Vijay Singh at the 1998 PGA Championship. He would be one of the oldest major champions in golf history if he comes through at Valhalla.

TIGER’S FUTURE: Tiger Woods won’t be at Valhalla this weekend – he missed the cut at a major championship for only the fourth time in his professional career – but there are plenty of questions about his future. Woods shot back-to-back rounds of 74, leaving him a whopping five shots below the cut line. Woods said his ailing back flared up again, and he conceded that he needs to get stronger. It looks like he’ll have plenty of time to work on his game. Unless he plays next week at Greensboro, North Carolina – which he’s never done – his season is effectively over. Woods failed to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs, and there seems little chance he will be picked for the Ryder Cup by Watson. For Woods, the focus turns to 2015.

Inbee Park se retrouve toujours aux commandes de la Classique Meijer à l’issue de la troisième ronde disputée samedi, sur les allées du Blythefield Country Club, au Michigan.

Park, qui a calé deux longs coups roulés sur le neuf de retour, a remis une carte de 68, soit trois coups sous la normale. Elle détient présentement un coup d’avance sur Mirim Lee, qui a joué 67.

La meneuse, qui est classée troisième au monde, a calé un coup roulé de 25 pieds de la frise du 14e, une normale-3. Par la suite, elle y est allée d’un boguey au 15e, une normale-4, avant de rebondir avec un oiselet d’une distance de 35 pieds au 16e trou.

Suzann Pettersen, de son côté, suit en troisième position à -11, trois coups devant Line Vedel Hanse et quatre devant Harukyo Nomura et Beatriz Recari.

Du côté des Canadiennes, Lorie Kane, qui a joué 71, est à égalité en 43e position à +1, tandis que ses compatriotes Rebecca Lee-Bentham et Alena Sharp reposent au 60e rang.

Inbee Park a gagné à six reprises l’an dernier et a remporté le tournoi Manulife Financial, en juin dernier.

BELMONT, Mich. – Inbee Park found a new putter – and her old touch.

The South Korean player took the second-round lead Friday in the Meijer LPGA Classic, birdieing her first three holes en route to her second straight 5-under 66.

The third-ranked Park finished on the front nine, adding birdies on the par-5 fifth and eighth holes in her bogey-free round at Blythefield Country Club. She won six times last year and took the Manulife Financial in June in Canada for her 10th LPGA Tour title.

“My putting feels like I’m back to last year,” Park said. “Hopefully, I can hole some more putts the next two days.”

After using a mallet putter since 2008, Park tried a friend’s blade putter Tuesday and started making putts. She hasn’t stopped since with 27 putts in each round after having TaylorMade quickly make her an identical version.

“I just never used that style of putter for a long, long time and I just wanted to have a change because I tried everything else and it didn’t really work,” she said. “This was pretty much my last option.”

She said the improved putting was especially obvious in the second round.

“Yesterday I hit a lot of the shots closer, but today I made 15 to 20-footers, at least a couple of them,” she said.

Fourth-ranked Suzann Pettersen was a stroke back. The Norwegian player matched the course record with a 64.

South Korea’s Mirim Lee also shot 64 to reach 8 under, and South Korea’s Amy Yang was fourth at 7 under after a 67.

Second-ranked Lydia Ko, the 17-year-old New Zealand player coming off a victory in the Marathon Classic in Sylvania, Ohio, was tied for fifth at 5 under after a 68. Germany’s Sandra Gal, the first-round leader, also was in the group at 5 under, following her opening 65 with a 72.

Top-ranked Stacy Lewis, a three-time winner this year, was even-par after a 72.

Pettersen, who won the last of her 14 LPGA Tour titles last year, is coming off a three-week break from competition, but free from back pain that hampered her earlier this year and eager to play again. She said it was nice to go low.

“It’s not like the easiest course if you miss the fairways,” she said. “I just tried to play to my strength, hit fairways, hit greens and I made a couple of putts.”

Lee said she hit the fairways and made long putts. She was clearly elated with her play.

“Best round,” she said.

Ko seemed surprised to be in the hunt and admitted she isn’t hitting the ball well.

“I had to make an up-and-down a lot of times,” she said. “I mean, I was kind of struggling with my long game but luckily my chipping and short game worked really well.”

Pettersen, who played in the same group, called Ko the chipping queen on the tour.

“It’s just phenomenal to see such a great touch around the greens,” she said.

Women’s British Open winner Mo Martin withdrew Friday morning because of a thumb injury. It was unclear if she will play next week in the LPGA Championship.

U.S. Women’s Open champion Michelle Wie withdrew after nine holes Thursday because of a wrist injury.

Rebecca Lee-Bentham is the leading Canadian, sitting tied for 25th at 1-under 141.

Alena Sharp and Lorie Kane also made the 36-hole cut, while Jennifer Kirby and Sue Kim had their week’s cut short.

OTTAWA, Ont. – With a closing birdie at his final hole of the day, Leicester, England’s Greg Eason fired a 5-under 66 on Friday at Hylands Golf Club to take a one shot lead through 36 holes at the Forces and Families Open.

The 22-year old rookie sits at 13-under par through two rounds and leads by one over North Vancouver’s Eugene Wong, who fired a 10-under 61 on Friday, a new career best as a professional.

“I managed to make a few putts and scramble the best I possible could out of it,” said Eason, who led after Thursday’s first round following an 8-under 63. “I stayed patient and then luckily had a nice finish.”

Eason briefly opened up a three stroke advantage, playing his first 12 holes in 5-under par before a pair of bogeys dropped him behind Wong, who birdied his final two holes to card the new course record at Hylands’ North Course. Eason would respond with birdies on two of his final three holes, including an approach from 107 yards to three feet at the par-4 9^th, his final hole of the day, to take top spot heading into the weekend.

“I played the hole before that terribly, so it was nice to scrape a par out of it and then put a shot close on the last too,” said Eason, who salvaged a par on the eighth thanks to a tricky up-and-down.

The 2014 All-American at the University of Central Florida will be in familiar territory heading into the third round with the lead, having shared top spot through 36 holes three weeks ago at the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel in Thunder Bay. Eason said the experience of being in contention he gained there will be invaluable, especially as a first year professional.

“The week [in Thunder Bay] really helped me for this week to put myself in a similar situation and to hopefully try and get a similar, if not better result,” said Eason. “It’s given me a lot of confidence for sure, playing in front of that many people and handling the different emotions there are, with the ups and downs and the journey that you’re going through in the round.”

Two shots behind Wong was Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida’s Jeff Dennis, who birdied his final hole of the day to hold solo third place at 10-under heading into the weekend.

A hot putter and a strong finish helped Eugene Wong to the best round of his career on Friday, adding another notable point to his already-strong resume. The 23-year old stuck a wedge at his final hole of the day to four feet and made the putt for a 10-under 61, the new record at Hylands Golf Club’s North Course.

“It’s probably the best I’ve ever putted. I just made everything that I saw on my line,” said Wong, a two-time All-American and the 2010 Jack Nicklaus Award winner at the University of Oregon and twice a winner on PGA Tour Canada. “I knew had to birdie to shoot 10-under, but I wasn’t really thinking about that. I was just thinking ‘Hit a good shot,’ and I hit a great one.”

Wong, who currently sits ninth on the Order of Merit, will be looking to add to his two wins in 2012, coming at The Great Waterway Classic and the TOUR Championship of Canada.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – For Tiger Woods, there was a familiar complaint.

Yes, his back was hurting again.

His performance at the PGA Championship is becoming more the norm, as well.

Once the game’s most dominant player, Woods looked old and tired at Valhalla. He was surely overmatched Friday, shooting his second straight 3-over 74 to miss the cut at one of golf’s majors for only the fourth time in his professional career.

Not that this was a big surprise.

Woods was playing in only his fourth tournament since back surgery in late March, and he hasn’t been a factor in any of them. He failed to make the cut at the Quicken Loans National. He had his worst 72-hole showing in a major at the British Open. He had to withdraw on the final day of the World Golf Championship at Firestone after taking an awkward swing and hurting his back again. He showed up Wednesday at Valhalla, proclaimed himself fit – and flopped again.

“I tried as hard as I could. That’s about all I’ve got,” Woods said. “Unfortunately, I just didn’t play well. Consequently, a pair of 74s is not very good.”

With the cut at 1 over, Woods wasn’t even close to playing on the weekend.

He was effectively done after shooting a 4-over 39 on the front nine, including a double bogey at No. 6 – where he three-putted from 18 feet – and a really ugly bogey at the par-5 seventh. He drove into a muddy bog far left of the fairway and had to punch out. He sailed his third shot over the green, and a sloppy chip came up short.

Woods played better on the back side – a couple of birdies, a single bogey – but he was all done at that point.

He said his chances effectively ended when the same problem that left him barely able to bend over at Firestone cropped up again on the driving range at Valhalla.

“I was sore,” Woods said. “There was no doubt I was sore. It went out on me on me on the range. I just had to play through it.”

There were no obvious indications of pain on the course, certainly nothing like his tortured departure from last week’s tournament. He appeared to reach for his back a little after the errant tee shot on No. 7, but didn’t actually touch it. There were plenty of grimaces, but those usually came after he hit another poor shot.

Woods insisted he had the “same feeling, same pain, same spasms” that forced him to drop out at Firestone, though he was encouraged that it wasn’t in the same spot as his back surgery.

“It was telling me on the range that it probably wasn’t a good idea (to play),” he said, referring to his back. “I couldn’t make a back swing. I can’t get the club back. I’m coming through fine. I just can’t get the club back. That throws everything off. I can’t get anywhere near the positions I’m accustomed to getting to. I just can’t do it. I have to rely on my timing and my hands, and hope I time it just right.”

He’ll not have plenty of time to work on his game and build up his strength.

If he doesn’t play next week at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina, – and he never has – his season is over. Woods needed to win the PGA to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs.

It also seems highly unlikely that Woods will be one of the wild-card picks by U.S. Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson, who said over and over that he wanted to see some sign the 14-time major champion was rounding into form.

Instead, Woods can’t even beat the 64-year-old captain, finishing behind him at the British Open and three shots worse at the PGA.

“I don’t know,” Woods said, when asked about his chances of being chosen by Watson. “He hasn’t called.”

Might be best if he sits out this Ryder Cup.

Woods conceded he needs to get stronger and more fit to have any chance of being close to the player he once was.

“I felt like I wasn’t that far away when I came back at the Quicken Loans,” Woods said. “But obviously, the more I play, I can’t develop my strength while playing a lot. I need to get back in the gym and get stronger.”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Tiger Woods is in danger of missing the cut at a major championship for only the fourth time in his professional career.

Woods played the front nine of the PGA Championship at 4-over 39 on Friday, pushing his total score to 7 over. With the projected cut at 1 over – and little chance it would go much higher – he needed a sudden burst of birdies after the turn to have any chance.

That seemed highly unlikely.

Through his first 27 holes at Valhalla, Woods made only one birdie – a chip-in from off the green at the 16th hole Thursday.

The last time he failed to make a major cut was the 2011 PGA Championship in Atlanta. He also missed at the 2009 British Open and 2006 U.S. Open.