GLEN COVE, N.Y. – Team Canada’s Brooke Henderson remains red-hot, advancing to Saturday’s U.S. Women’s Amateur semifinals after beating UCLA’s Alison Lee 1 up at Nassau Country Club.

The 16-year-old Henderson Team Canada member who was low amateur in the U.S. Women’s Open ended the match with a par halve on the par-4 18th. After Henderson won the par-3 16th with a par to take a 2-up lead, the 19-year-old Lee, from Valencia, California, cut it to one with a birdie win on the par-4 17th.

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

Henderson, the no. 2 ranked female amateur in the world, will face 16-year-old Hannah O’Sullivan of Paradise Valley, Arizona, a 5-and-4 winner over 21-year-old former Pepperdine player Grace Na of Alameda, California.

Their semi-final match will begin at 10:00am EDT on Saturday, with the final match to be played on Sunday.

In the other semifinal, 16-year-old Kristen Gillman of Austin, Texas, will play 15-year-old Andrea Lee of Hermosa Beach, California. Gillman rallied to beat 18-year-old Su-Hyun Oh of Australia in 20 holes, and Andrea Lee topped 14-year-old Eunjeong Seong of South Korea 2 and 1.

For live scoring, click here.

Brooke Henderson (USGA)

Brooke Henderson and Alison Lee (USGA)

The final round of the Guardian Capital Alberta Senior Men’s Championship was cancelled due to a sever storm. As a result, Frank Van Dornick captured his third Alberta Senior Championship, with yesterday’s 2-stoke lead turning into 2-stroke victory.

Stuart Nicholson of Bearspaw wins the Super Senior contest for players aged 70+ or older after rounds of 72 and 75. Nicholson, who won the Senior Championship in 2007, earned his first Super Senior title.

Van Dornick, Jim Russell, and Pat McGowan will be invited to represent Alberta Golf on the Senior Men’s Interprovincial Team at the 2014 Canadian Senior Men’s Championship at Capilano Golf & Country Club in West Vancouver. Additionally, the top 25 including 2 Super Senior’s will earn a quota position into the aforementioned national Championship.

For final results, click here.

DIGBY, NS – Ernie Sheaves drive home to Cape Breton will be a happy one. The 58 year old was sharp en route to a 2-under par 69 and a four stroke victory at the NSGA (Nova Scotia Golf Association) Senior Men’s Championship today at Digby Pines Golf Resort and Spa.

Sheaves, who entered today’s final round at even par, was locked in a battle with Paragon’s Tom Banks through the first 10 holes. However, Sheaves would turn it on the last seven holes taking the title in convincing fashion.

Sheaves started his day with a bogey on the par 4 #1 before also bogeying the par 4 #4, a birdie brought him back to +1, which equalled Banks’ score through nine holes.

Sheaves carded an impressive stretch of four birdies in five holes to seal the win, which were a result of some great approach shots.

“I have always been a good iron player, it’s been the strength of my game even when I was out west working” said Sheaves, who spent years working in Fort McMurray. “I told myself before yesterday I was just going to focus on taking it shot by shot, when I got on my run I knew how tough that can be for the other guy, and I just had a ton of confidence”.

Banks posted rounds of 72-71-72 to finish two strokes over par. Banks will join his fifth Nova Scotia senior team headed to the Canadian Men’s Senior Championships in consecutive years.

After Gerry MacMillan and Mike Hebb declined team spots because of prior engagements, a three-way playoff occurred to determine the final team spot. Bill Burns of Lingan, Peter Stirling of Ashburn, and Andy Wilson (Digby) were the competitors and after one hole Burns was victorious after sinking a par amid rainy conditions. After two more holes, Stirling would best Wilson to earn the alternate spot on the provincial team.

To see full results from the 2014 Men’s Senior, click here.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – On a soggy day at Valhalla, Rory McIlroy put himself in a familiar position – at the top of the leaderboard in the PGA Championship.

For Tiger Woods, this also is becoming the norm.

Another major disappointment. He’s heading home for the weekend.

McIlroy, the overwhelming favorite from Northern Ireland, started on the back nine after a 50-minute rain delay Friday, made a couple of early birdies, then claimed the outright lead for the first time when he rolled in a 30-foot eagle putt at the 18th hole.

McIlroy picked up two more birdies in his final three holes for a 4-under 67, good enough for a one-shot lead over Jason Day and Jim Furyk. Day turned in the best round of the day with a 65, and Furyk had a 68.

Rickie Fowler and Ryan Palmer were two shots back, with Fowler surging into contention again at a major by shooting 66. He is already the first player since Woods in 2005 to finish in the top five of the first three majors of the year.

And don’t forget Phil Mickelson, who rolled in an 8-footer for eagle at the final hole for a 67. Lefty was just three shots back.

Woods, meanwhile, struggled to his second straight 74 and failed to make the cut at a major for only the fourth time in his professional career.

“That was tough,” Woods said. “I hit a lot of shots out there. Seventy-four of `em. It was a long day.”

Palmer was tied for the lead after the opening round with Lee Westwood and Kevin Chappell. Palmer turned in the best follow-up from that group, shooting 70 to stay firmly in the mix. Westwood faded a bit with a 73 and was four shots back. Chappell struggled to a 74 and dropped six strokes off the pace.

Woods was 109th place after Thursday, his only realistic goal to make the cut.

He wasn’t even close.

Woods lipped out a 3-foot birdie attempt at the third, missing a chance to gain some momentum. He followed with a bogey at No. 4, after driving into a fairway bunker, and took a double bogey at the sixth when he drove far left of the fairway and three-putted from 18 feet. Still reeling from that debacle, he yanked his tee shot at the par-5 seventh into a muddy bog, could only pitch up to the fairway, pulled the next shot behind the green, failed to reach the short grass with his chip, and made another bogey.

The back nine was better – a couple of birdies, one bogey – but it didn’t matter at that point.

Wood was all done at this PGA, still stuck on 14 major titles, the last one coming more than six years ago.

McIlroy, on the other hand, is at the top of his game. He arrived at Valhalla having won his last two tournaments. He captured the British Open at Royal Liverpool with a wire-to-wire performance, and rallied for a victory at Firestone last weekend.

Midway through the final major of the year, he is once again the guy everyone is chasing.

“I’m confident,” McIlroy said. “I’m really in control of my game and my emotions. I need to do that over the weekend as well.”

He dropped a shot with a bogey at the 12th, but birdied two of the next three holes. He seized the outright lead for the first time with the long putt at No. 18 and nearly made another eagle at the par-5 seventh. He stuck a shot from 243 yards to 8 feet, but the putt stayed right of the cup.

McIlroy grimaced and rolled back his head.

No problem.

He closed with another birdie at the ninth, finishing off his round by curling in a 16-footer that left him at 9-under 133 overall.

McIlroy is going for his fourth major title at age 25, having already won the PGA Championship at Kiawah in 2012. He’s got plenty of youth behind him – Fowler is 25, Day 26.

The old-timers didn’t fare too shabby, either.

Steve Stricker – a 47-year-old, part-time player who was picked as an assistant U.S. Ryder Cup captain this week – showed he’s still got plenty of game. He made four birdies on his first nine holes on the way to a 68, which left him four shots back along with Westwood. Also at 5 under were Graham DeLaet (68), Victor Dubuisson (68), Joost Luiten (69), Henrik Stenson (71).

Kentucky native Kenny Perry will get to celebrate his 54th birthday on Sunday at Valhalla after shooting 69. A pair of 51-year-olds, Vijay Singh and Colin Montgomerie, also made the cut.

A steady rain forced officials to suspend the round after just 20 minutes because of too much water on the putting surfaces and fairways. Work crews already were using squeegees on the greens when another burst of showers hit Valhalla.

Play was halted as Palmer was playing the first hole. He hung out in the tower with some volunteers, snapping pictures of the water.

“I wasn’t quite sure we should have teed off, to be honest with you,” he said. “You could barely see the fairway.”

The sun came out late in the day.

Not soon enough to brighten Woods’ day.

The RBC Canadian Open means something different to everyone. To some, it’s an opportunity to introduce their children to the game, to others, it offers motivation to perfect their swing. Tony Harris, however, looks at the national championship a little differently.

As the official artist of the RBC Canadian Open, Harris recreates some of Canada’s most renowned courses on canvas. A golfer himself, he insists on producing imagery that appeals to both the artistically inclined and the golf enthusiast.

“If I’m commissioned to do a painting of a golf course I want to find the hole that shows the character of the entire course,” Harris said of his passion for painting courses. “If it’s going to be one hole, I’m hoping to really display the character of the entire 18 hole experience. Even as a non-artist looking at a golf painting, you’d be able to see if you’ve played St. George’s 18th hole [because] you’d know you’re about 200 yards out and you’re going to have to hit a soft fade to that back right pin if you want to get it close. That’s what I try to do for the golfer, not necessarily as an artist, but I always want that picture to make sense to the golf purist who understands and knows golf.”

Producing these pieces is not a simple task, and usually takes longer than most golf tournaments themselves. Harris noted that most pieces take him between 50 – 80 hours to complete, and this is after the initial photography of the golf course.

“I work from photograph. I take pictures and I’ll often do some sketchwork from the course.I’m usually there for the entire day so the light can fall at different times,” he continued. “Unless I’m absolutely sure of what hole to paint, I’ll generally spend time between two different holes to give myself some options. I’ll travel between the holes, do sketches, and take lots of pictures early in the morning.”

And Harris’ favourite course to paint? Augusta National, naturally.

“I could paint Augusta National forever,” he said. “I’ve done four different paintings of No. 12 from so many different spots; it’s just one of those things that will just never get old.Even though it’s the same every year, every year there’s always a different time of day that makes the hole look different.”

Harris has not only mastered the art of golf landscapes, but maintains an extensive collection of sports portraits as well. Having painted some of the NHL’s biggest names including Henrik Sedin and Mike Fischer, as the world evolves into one based on instant digital photography, it is refreshing to watch Harris continue to capture the action and emotion of professional sports on canvas.

The 17th hole at The Royal Montreal Golf Club.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The second round of the PGA Championship was off to a soggy start and a sudden stop Friday.

A steady rain forced officials to suspend the round after just 20 minutes because of too much water on the putting surfaces and fairways. Work crews already were using squeegees on the greens when another burst of showers hit Valhalla.

Play was halted about 45 minutes before Rory McIlroy was to tee off, and as Ryan Palmer was playing the first hole.

Palmer, Lee Westwood and Kevin Chappell shared the first-round lead at 6-under 65. Palmer was the only one of the leaders to play Friday morning. McIlroy was among those one shot behind.

It already was shaping up as a long day.

Play resumed after 45 minutes, but with more rain in the forecast, it is unlikely the second round would be completed Friday. Tiger Woods, in 109th place and in danger of missing the cut at the PGA for the second time in four years, plays in the afternoon.

Adding to the difficulty of a soggy course, players had to contend with mud.

Championship director Kerry Haigh said the ball was to be played as it lies – the players will not be allowed to lift, clean and place their golf balls through the green as often happens in regular tour events.

He said no consideration was given to restarting the second round using preferred lies. Once a round begins under one set of conditions, it cannot change. Haigh didn’t see the need.

“We are playing the ball down,” Haigh said. “Once we start the round, we will not change. Really, there was no consideration to that. The fairways are good. And the Rules of Golf allow for relief if the ball is in casual water.”

Rain was in the forecast for most of Friday. While it would soften the greens, it would make the course longer.

Palmer came up short of the green from out of the rough on the 504-yard second hole, though he pitched to 2 feet to save par. He opened with three straight pars to stay in a share of the lead.

McIlroy typically enjoys soft conditions. That was the case at Firestone last week, and he said he was “licking his lips” when he saw the course. McIlroy rallied from a three-shot deficit to win the World Golf Championship, his first tournament since a wire-to-wire victory at Royal Liverpool in the British Open.

McIlroy won his first major at rain-softened Congressional in the 2011 U.S. Open with a record score of 16-under 268.

BELMONT, Mich. – Sandra Gal made six straight birdies on her back nine Thursday to take the first-round lead in the Meijer LPGA Classic, while Michelle Wie withdrew because of a wrist injury.

Gal, the 29-year-old German who won her lone LPGA Tour title in 2011, birdied Nos. 3-8 and finished with a par on No. 9 for a 6-under 65 at Blythefield Country Club.

“I was in a zone, I was really relaxed,” Gal said. “I was talking a lot to my caddie and to my playing partners, just kind of letting it happen instead of forcing it.”

Wie was 5 over after nine holes when she pulled out. She fought injuries to both wrists in 2007.

“It just started hurting last week and kept getting worse,” Wie said in the parking lot outside the medical trailer. “It got to the point where I really couldn’t hold a club today. I’m going to try and get an MRI right now and see what my next steps are. So we’ll see.”

The U.S. Women’s Open winner in June for her second victory of the year, Wie said she hoped to be able to play next week in the LPGA Championship _ the fourth major championship of the season.

South Korea’s Inbee Park was a stroke behind Gal.

Australia’s Katherine Kirk opened with a 67, and Azahara Munoz was another stroke back along with IIhee Lee, Katy Harris, Gerina Piller, Amy Young and Line Vedel.

Second-ranked Lydia Ko, the 17-year-old star coming off a victory in the Marathon Classic in Sylvania, Ohio, matched Paula Creamer with a 69, and top-ranked Stacy Lewis shot 70.

Gal played in the morning wave in the LPGA Tour’s first regular tournament in Michigan since the Oldsmobile Classic ended its nine-year run in East Lansing in 2000.

Gal said her birdie run, which tied the best string on the tour this season, was a combination of hitting her iron shots inside 10 feet on each of the holes and then making solid putting strokes.

“You have to be on the right side of the hole to have chances at birdies and I was on the front nine,” she said. “I like this old-style type course and the greens are perfect. There were no long putts, just solid ones after good iron shots and I hit a couple real close, like 3 or 4 feet. It was a little bit of everything.”

Park has one victory this year after winning six times last season.

“Everything was working really well today, especially the iron shots,” she said. “The greens are rolling really well, too. They’re rolling really true. I hit a lot of good putts so that’s giving me confidence going into the next three days.”

Lewis, who has three wins and 13 top-10 finishes this year, said she played better than she scored.

“I’ve been working on a few things with my golf swing and was pretty happy actually with the way I hit it _ just had a bunch of putts right over the edge,” Lewis said. “Overall, pretty happy with it even though the score is not quite what I was looking for.”

Ko had the same issue with putts just missing.

“The golf course is in great shape so the birdies are there to be made,” she said. “I just didn’t make as many as I would have liked. I really like the way I’m playing, though.”

Canada’s Alena Sharp, Lorie Kane and Rebecca Lee-Bentham are all in a group tied for 21st.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Maybe Tiger Woods should have stayed at home.

Looking much like a guy playing just his 11th competitive round since back surgery, Woods was spraying shots all over Valhalla and playing himself out of contention at the PGA Championship before heavy favorite Rory McIlroy even teed off Thursday.

“Oh, for … sake, Tiger!” he yelled at himself on No. 2, muttering an obscenity after yanking his tee shot near a creek, leading to a one-stroke penalty.

Woods underwent surgery March 31 and missed the first two majors of the year. He returned in time for the British Open, but struggled to his worst 72-hole finish in a major. Then he withdrew from the World Golf Championship at Firestone just four days ago after taking an awkward swing, hurting his back again.

He finally arrived at the PGA on Wednesday – with live television showing Woods parking his car and tying his golf shoes – and proclaimed himself fit.

It sure didn’t look that way.

Starting on the back side, Woods bogeyed both of the par-3s after missing the green, though he did salvage an unlikely birdie at the 16th by holing out a wedge from more than 100 feet away.

But he missed a chance to make up more ground at the easy 18th, knocking his drive into a fairway bunker at the par-5 hole, and things really took a turn for the worse after Woods made the turn.

He just couldn’t find any accuracy off the tee.

Woods drove one into a native area at the first, leading to a bogey. Then came another poor drive at the second, forcing him to take a drop and settle for his fourth bogey in 11 holes.

He was 3 over for the round and eight shots behind early leader Kevin Chappell. Edoardo Molinari of Italy was 4 under, while Ryder Cup hopeful Brendon Todd and perennial major contender Rickie Fowler led a group of players at 3 under.

This was a big week for Todd, who was 12th in the Ryder Cup standings and looking to push his way into an automatic spot at the final qualifying event. The top nine after Sunday will make the team, before captain Tom Watson fills out his roster with three wild-card picks.

Fowler has finished in the top five at the first three majors this year, but is still seeking his first championship. He was runner-up at both the U.S. Open and British Open.

Phil Mickelson, playing in the same group as Woods for one of the rare times at a major, was 1 over. Lefty was just out of the mix for a Ryder Cup spot, though it’s expected he would be a captain’s choice if he doesn’t qualify. Mickelson hasn’t won in nearly 13 months, since his victory at the 2013 British Open.

This is his longest drought since 2003.

Everyone seemed to be chasing McIlroy, who was the overwhelming favorite coming off wins at the British Open and at Firestone. The three-time major champion had an afternoon tee time.

One player who won’t be winning: Matt Kuchar, who withdrew just before teeing off because of back spasms.

John Huh took Kuchar’s place and joined the threesome with Louis Oosthuizen and Justin Rose.

Canada’s David Hearn and Graham DeLaet tee off at 1pm and 1:15pm (EDT).

ASHTON, ON— Tecumseh’s Curtis Hughes entered the final round of the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) Bantam (U15) Boys’ Championship, Aug. 7 at the Canadian Golf & Country Club in Ashton, seven shots off the lead. However, thanks to the round of the tournament, Hughes was able to jump up the leaderboard and claim the title.

After his first round, the 14-year-old was seven-over, but he came back during the second round with an amazing four-under (68) to win by a four-shot margin.

“My dad, who is the head pro and director at Rochester Place Golf Course, and I took a few hours after my round yesterday just to think and process what I would needed to do to win today. I wanted to make six birdies to begin the round and to get back to even, but that didn’t happen. Still, I made a few birdies out there and was able to win,” said Hughes

The Beach Grove Golf & Country Club member began the round with birdies on the second and fourth holes. He did bogey six, but that would be the only blemish on his round. He went on to birdie the 10th, 12th and 13th holes for the win.

“I haven’t played in many event’s this year,” added Hughes. “But it was a lot of fun. I really love playing in tournaments. This is definitely the number one result in my golf career so far.”

Finishing second was Richmond Hill’s Eric Byun. Byun entered the day one off the lead at one-over for the tournament. He would finish the round six-over (78) to bring his tournament total to seven-over.

Brampton’s Jacob Presutti finished third with a second round of seven-over (79) to finish the tournament at nine-over. Rounding out the top five were Whitby’s Brendan Dunphy at 10-over, and Brampton’s Max Wang at 11-over.

For the final leaderboard and results of all 57 players see the tournament site here.

ASHTON, ON— Mississauga’s Chloe Currie came into the second round of the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) Ontario Bantam (U15) Girls’ Championship, Aug. 7 at the Canadian Golf & Country Club in Ashton, with a comfortable 11-shot advantage. She would see that lead to the end of the second and final round as she captured the 2014 championship.

“I made solid shots and had a plan. I went out and played the course according to my plan, the best I could. It was a challenging course. It wasn’t too long but it was tricky. There are a lot of 90 degree holes, tough bunkers and putting greens that become really fast when you’re putting downhill. You just need to get going and play steady. I think I was able to do well because I just played steady golf,” said Currie after the win.

The 14-year-old from the Mississauga Golf & Country Club had an opening round of two-over (74) and cruised through the second round finishing it at one-over (73) to end the tournament three-over for the win.

“This win would rank as the best career highlight for me so far. It is the best I have ever done in a tournament. I am so glad that I came to play this event. It was my last year to play in it and I wanted to come here, play strong, finish strong and I did.”

Currie had got herself to one-over for the tournament thanks to a birdie on the seventh hole. However, she would shoot two-over on the back nine. Still, it would not matter as Currie was able to hang on to win by an amazing 24-strokes.

“I was consistent on the par threes. My irons were great today and my putting was amazing, I made a lot of important putts that gave me momentum for the next holes,” added Currie.

Finishing second was Olivia Trieu from Richmond Hill, who ended the tournament at 27-over and Brampton’s Amanda Kerr was third at 29-over.

For the full leaderboard see the tournament site here.