MOSCOW – David Horsey of England defeated Ireland’s Damien McGrane in a playoff on Sunday to win the Russian Open, his first European Tour title in three years.

Horsey rallied after making double-bogey on the 12th hole with an eagle on the 17th and then par on the final hole to finish level with McGrane at 13-under 275 at the end of regulation.

The Englishman then two-putted for par on the 18th hole in the playoff, while McGrane found a greenside bunker and took a bogey.

McGrane made seven birdies in the final round, but failed to close out his first victory in six years in his round of 66.

It was the second time in Horsey’s career that he has been in a playoff and the second time he’s come out in front after winning the 2011 Hassan 11 Trophy at Agadir, Morocco, in similar fashion.

“It’s a big relief to win and very much like my last win in Morocco when I also made a mess of a couple of holes on the back nine,” said Horsey. “But standing on 17 I really didn’t know where I was in the tournament so after hitting my ball through to the back of the green I realised I was three behind and needed to do something drastic and quite quickly.

“So chipping-in for eagle was a great help and then thought I needed to make birdie at the last but not realising Damien (McGrane) had dropped one there at the last.”

Horsey led after the opening two rounds and went into the final round tied for the lead.

“To win is very special as it’s been a while since I won in Morocco, and also it’s been bumpy road along the way since then,” he said.

Scotland’s Scott Jamieson shot a 69 to finish third at 12-under 276 with Sam Hutsby (68) of England another shot back in fourth. Peter Whiteford (75) of Scotland rounded out the top five with a 278.

MONTREAL – There doesn’t appear to be any stopping Jim Furyk from claiming a third RBC Canadian Open title.

The 44-year-old Furyk steamrolled his way to a bogey-free 65 in the third round at Royal Montreal on Saturday to go to 15-under-par 195 and take a three-shot lead over South African Tim Clark, while crowd favourite Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., saw his hopes sag with a three-putt on the 18th to fall seven strokes off the lead.

A forecast of thunderstorms may complicate the final round on Sunday, but Furyk is in solid position for his first PGA Tour win since the Tour Championship in 2010.

He said a key to closing out the US$5.7 million tournament will be “not really worrying about what position I’m in. Not looking at the leaderboard too much. Going out there and trying to attack the golf course the same way I have the first three days.

“I noticed there aren’t many leaderboards on the course, that might be a good thing.”

He will play the final round in a threesome with Clark, whose only Tour win was the 2010 Players Championship, and Kyle Stanley, whose lone win was at the 2012 Phoenix Open.

Clark had the low round of the day at 64 to move to 12-under. Stanley has been near the lead all week and shot 68 to take third place at 10-under par.

Furyk is a 16-time winner on Tour and will have the edge in experience. But he cautioned that the soft greens and fairways at Royal Montreal have made for low scoring and that anyone close is a threat.

“The guys that are out there who have played well for three days are all capable,” said Furyk. “Timmy Clark’s got a lot of experience. Kyle’s won before.

“The guys out there have all played well. They’ve played good rounds. You saw Graham and I shoot 7-under (on Saturday). There is a good round out there, so guys can go out there and shoot a low one and definitely put heat on the last group.”

Jamie Lovemark, whose best finish so far this season was a tie for 28th in January, shot 67 to take fourth place at 9-under.

But the galleries were watching DeLaet, Canada’s top player who is trying to become the first Canadian to win his national open since Pat Fletcher in 1954.

But after raising hopes as he and Furyk tied the course record playing together with Matt Kuchar in the second round, he managed only an even-par 70 to stay at 8 under in a tie with Joe Durant (67), Scott Brown (69) and Tim Petrovic (72).

The 32-year-old DeLaet missed a par putt on the second, but kept himself afloat until he sank a long putt for eagle on the par-5 12th. He followed with a birdie on the 14th to get to 10 under, but then put his tee shot on the 15th into a hazard for bogey.

The crowd gave him a rousing ovation as the bearded DeLaet walked up the 18th fairway, but he got too aggressive on a 9-foot birdie putt and then missed a short one for par.

“I kept plugging away,” said DeLaet. “I knew I wasn’t that far off and if I could just finish a couple under par maybe I’d have a shot (on Sunday.)

“Disappointing to three-putt the last. I really wanted to make that birdie and got over-aggressive. But it was a fun day. The crowds were amazing out there. Hopefully, I can do something special.”

If DeLaet was dejected or angry at himself, it didn’t show when he met the media off the 18th green. And he wasn’t about to concede defeat despite the gap with the leaders.

“Jim is obviously in control of his game right now, but if someone posts something you never know what could happen,” he said. “I’m just going to give it my best. I’ve got 35 million people pulling for me, so that’s pretty cool.”

Furyk won the world’s third-oldest national championship in 2006 at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club and followed with a win in 2007 at Angus Glen in Markham, Ont.

A third win would put him in a tie for second all-time with Tommy Armour (1927, 1930 and 1934), San Snead (1938, 1940 and 1941) and Lee Trevino (1971, 1977 and 1979). Leo Diegel won four titles in the 1920s.

Coming off a final round 65 to finish fourth at the British Open last Sunday, Furyk has had only one bogey, on the fourth hole of the first round, at Royal Montreal.

The third round was more complicated, but he cited up-and-down saves for par on the first, sixth, 11th and 16th for keeping his hot play alive.

“The first couple of days I struck the ball really well and never had myself in too much trouble,” he said. “Today I found a way to score and get the ball in the hole.”

In his career, Furyk has won 10 of 25 times when leading after three rounds.

Clark got off to a phenomenal start, with a birdie on the first and an eagle on the second, and then ran off three birdies on the final six holes. The 38-year-old’s experience likely makes him the most dangerous challenger.

“It’s always great to get off to a good start,” said Clark. “Saturdays are normally the toughest day to score on, so you dream of a start like that.”

Clark is coming off a strong showing at the John Deere Classic, where he tied for fifth, helping to turn around a middling season that included a problem with his left elbow that needed a cortisone injection.

“Right now I feel good and I am able to swing how I want to,” he said. “Three months ago I started to hit the good again, but I just wasn’t scoring. Finally, the last few tournaments, I’ve started to score.”

With thunderstorms in the forecast, start times were moved up two hours to 8 a.m. ET, with the players in threesomes rather than the usual pairs for the final round. The third round was played in breezy, overcast weather, with only a brief, light rain in the afternoon.

Amateur Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., rebounded from a 75 on Friday with a 68 to go to 2 under. He was 4 under through 17 holes, but the big hitter put his tee shot in a hazard and hit a weak chip shot for double bogey on the 18th.

He was happy with his week so far however, which included an opening-round 65.

“Just getting out here and experiencing what the PGA guys experience every week is pretty awesome,” the 23-year-old said. “My goal for the week was just to come out here and have some good rounds.

“Just like any other tournament, if I play good I’ll make the cut. I had a good day and a bad day, but I made the cut, which was awesome. It’s great to play two more rounds on the weekend.”

Brad Fritsch of Ottawa shot a bogey-free 67 to move to 3 under for the tournament, while Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., was at 3 under after a 68. David Hearn of Brampton, Ont., was also at 3 under after a 70.

Mike Weir of Bright’s Grove, Ont., was 1 over on the day and for the tournament.

“No bogeys out here with the wind blowing a bit – I played nicely,” said Fritsch, whose sand shot on the 18th helped save par. “Burned the edge a lot today, but I also had some good up and downs.

“It was nice to get up and down on the last, just to make sure it was bogey-free.”

Having proven his ability to hold his own against the world’s top amateur golfers, Listowel, Ont.’s Corey Conners has his sights set on doing the same against the world’s top pros in the near future.

With five collegiate tournament victories to his credit, along with a semi-final appearance at the 2013 U.S. Men’s Amateur, the 22-year-old has some respected golf insiders believing he has all the tools to make that successful transition to the next level.

One of them is Canadian men’s national team head coach, Derek Ingram.

“He’s does all the right things and he’s just been super steady out there,” said Ingram. “He’s got a fantastic combination of length and accuracy off the tee; along with a fantastic putter.

“Corey’s improved in small incremental amounts in every area of his game over the years and if he continues to put in the work, I just think he’s just going to have a tremendous career as a professional golfer,” Ingram added.

Besides praise from Ingram, the recent Kent State graduate is also spoken about highly by his former head coach at the university, Herb Page.

Having won the 2013 and 2014 Gopher Invitational, the 2014 General Hackler Championship, the 2014 Mid-American Conference Golf Championship and the 2014 Jones Cup, combined with a semi-finals appearance at the 2013 U.S. Men’s Amateur, Page says Conners has been nothing short of a superstar on the Kent State team.

He also points to Conners’ steady progression and hard work as an indication of a bright future ahead for the amateur standout.

“He came in to Kent State as a really good junior player from Ontario and he’s leaving as one of the top amateurs in the world,” said the long time Kent State head coach. “And I see no reason why he shouldn’t continue to make that progression.

“Corey’s a very bright young man off and on the golf course and very determined; he’s got all the skills and all the tools to reach his goals on the golf course.” Page added about the talented young Canadian who stands at six feet even.

For his part, Conners says both programs have played a vital role in his maturity and development as a golfer.

“Being part of Team Canada and the Kent State golfing program has obviously been instrumental to helping me to become a better player,” he acknowledged.

“At Kent State, we had a great team there and it was great to play in a lot of competitive collegiate tournaments,” noted Conners.

“It was an awesome experience. I learned a lot about how to manage things on and off the course; and definitely grew as a person,” he added about his four years at Kent State which saw him graduate with a major in actuary math.

The 22-year-old was also quick to recognize the important benefits of his four years spent as a member of the Canadian national team program.

“Being on Team Canada is a big honour; the resources that we have available to us are second to none,” he pointed out. “Derek (Ingram) and all the staff are really great in helping us to get a good plan together and being properly prepared before we compete.”

Grateful for the strong support and encouragement from Kent State and Golf Canada, Conners has plans to make the complete transition from amateur to pro after the World Amateur Golf Championships in September.

Conners had the chance to taste what life would be like as a member of the PGA Tour when he competed at the RBC Canadian Open in Montreal. It was an experience that left the talented young golfer hungry for more.

“It’s definitely fun playing in front of the big crowds; definitely a motivating and exciting experience for me,” he noted.

“I was disappointed that I didn’t play a little better,” admitted Conners, who posted a five over par in the first two rounds and failed to make the cut. “But still this was an awesome experience for me.”

Despite the disappointment of missing the cut, the amateur standout says the entire experience from competing against the world’s best at the Royal Montreal Golf Club has given him extra clarity on where he envisions himself within the next few years.

“Competing at this stage made me realize that this is definitely where I want to be,” said Conners. “So I’m going to keep working hard and try to earn a place out here on the PGA tour.”

Woodstock, Ont. – Team Canada’s Augusta James ran away with the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship on Friday winning by six strokes after a final round 2-under 69 at Craigowan Golf and Country Club.

James showed that she was in command early, firing a 3-under 32 to open up her final round. Her front-nine came on the heels of Thursday’s record-setting performance where she carded the lowest round in the championship’s 101-year-old history with an 8-under 63. 

“There’s no better way to describe it then I’m pumped,” said James. “It’s such an honour to be part of a strong tradition, so many fantastic women before me have won this tournament so I’m proud to have my name up with them.”

Over the 72-hole championship the N.C. State Wolfpack senior carded 19 birdies and only five bogeys to finish at 14-under 270. The victory also earned her exemptions into the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open and U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship.

“Tristan [Team Canada’s Women’s Head Coach] and I were talking about how I’ve put in a lot of work and it’s tough because you want to force it to happen but you have let it happen,” James continued. “This week obviously I was able to do that and I’m proud of myself and happy that I was able to.”

The win marks the largest of the 21-year-old’s career and was extra special for James as her family and teammates from Team Canada and N.C. State University were behind the 18th green to celebrate when she finished. 

“We do play an individual sport, we all have different tee time things like that but we are through and through a team and we want the best for each other,” James said. “Brooke [Henderson] and I roomed together this week and there was never any type of issues, we had a great night last night and a great night all week, to have that support from my N.C. State team and Golf Canada was fantastic.”

Australia’s Su-Hyun Oh finished in solo second at 8-under par after a final round 2-under 69. Oh narrowly edged out Team Canada’s Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont. who carded a 1-under 70 on Friday to finish in third. Kendall Martindale of Jefferson City, Tenn. claimed solo fourth at 5-under 279, while Lauren Diaz-Yi of California shared fifth place at 4-under par alongside China’s Jing Yan.  

In the Mid-Amateur division (25+), Christina Proteau of Port Alberni, B.C. repeated as the champion for the fourth consecutive year. Proteau carded a final round 7-over 78 to finish seven strokes ahead of Helene Chartrand of Pincourt, Que. at 14-over 298. 

“It feels great, I didn’t play well today but I finished with a birdie on 18 which was nice but looking at the four days total I played really solid,” Proteau said. “I feel really proud of that achievement, you do have to play well to win that part of the tournament and it was nice to get it done today.” 

Chartrand captured the Mid-Master division (40+) by 11 strokes over Marion Reid of Etobicoke, Ont. finishing at 21-over for the championship.

Post-round results and a full-field list are available here.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The United States shuffled its lineup in the second round of the International Crown and got the desired result, beat Spain twice Friday to earn its first points in the eight-country competition.

Lexi Thompson and Cristie Kerr took control on the back nine against Belen Mozo and Beatriz Recari in a 3-and-2 win, and Paula Creamer and Stacy Lewis held on to beat Azahara Munoz and Carlota Ciganda 2 up.

One day earlier, the top-seeded U.S. lost twice to Taiwan and was the only country without a point.

That caused Lewis to say: “Well, I guess we learned that those pairings didn’t work very well.”

Thus, the Americans traded partners Friday – and the new teams proved to be far more productive.

The Kerr-Thompson pairing won holes 10-12 to go 3 up, and Creamer-Lewis took the lead for good by winning No. 7 before adding to their advantage on Nos. 9 and 11.

Munoz and Ciganda got to 1 down heading to 18 before both landed shots in a bunker, and they ended up conceding the hole.

Thailand leads Pool A with five points, followed by Taiwan and the U.S. with four points apiece and Spain with three.

Japan stands atop Pool B with six points. South Korea has four points and Sweden and Australia each have three.

On Saturday in the final day of better-ball play, the United States will face Thailand, and Spain will play Taiwan. In Pool B, Sweden will face Australia, and South Korea will play Japan.

The top two teams in each pool, along with the winner of a playoff between the third-place teams, will compete in singles matches Sunday for the inaugural International Crown title.

Thailand moved atop Pool A with a pair of wins over Taiwan, which wasn’t able to sustain the momentum it generated with twin wins over the U.S. one day earlier.

Moriya Jutanugarn and younger sister Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand teamed to beat Candie Kung and Teresa Lu 3 and 2. The Jutanugarns took the lead with birdies on the par-4 first and did not lose a hole all day.

Thailand’s other tandem, Pornanong Phatlum and Onnarin Sattayabanphot, beat Yani Tseng and Teresa Lu 1 up with a birdie on the 18th hole.

Next up for Thailand: The Americans.

“We’re probably going to try to keep the same confidence like today, and then just go have fun,” Sattayabanphot said. “Let’s see how it goes.”

In Pool B, Japan’s Ai Miyazato and Sakura Yokomine rallied from six holes down with seven to play to halve with Katherine Kirk and Lindsey Wright of Australia. The comeback ended with Japan capturing the final three holes.

“It feels amazing right now,” Miyazato said. “Until 12 holes, I and Sakura just felt like today was Australia’s day. We tried to accept the results, and said that every extra hole is just a bonus.”

Kirk said, “It hurts, obviously, but we can’t change what happened. But we can certainly learn from it and certainly go out there (Saturday) and try to make amends.”

The tide turned after the Australians were put on the clock on the 12th hole.

“We lost our timing and that was pretty much it,” Wright said. “It was just awful.”

Japan’s other duo, Mamiko Higa and Mika Miyazato, beat 18-year-old amateur Minjee Lee and 40-year-old Karrie Webb 3 and 2.

In another matchup, Sweden split with South Korea. Caroline Hedwall and Anna Nordqvist beat South Korea’s Inbee Park and So Yeon Ryu 1 up, and Na Yeon Choi teamed with I.K. Kim to edge Pernilla Linberg and Mikaela Parmlid 1 up.

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – The Royal & Ancient Golf Club will hold a postal vote on whether to admit women members for the first time.

The club announced Friday that it would allow members to vote by post rather than limiting the vote to members attending in person.

The club says “by taking this decision all members can take part in this historic vote.”

Club rules previously required members to be present to vote. R&A secretary Peter Dawson said last week at the British Open that “it’s clear that the majority of R&A members feel that postal voting would be appropriate in this case.”

The result will be announced on Sept. 18.

The 260-year-old club has about 2,400 members around the world.

BRIDGEND, Wales  — Bernhard Langer has a seven-stroke cushion to take into the third round of the Senior British Open after shooting a 5-under 66 Friday to add to his opening 65.

The German is on 11-under 131 overall at a sunny Royal Porthcawl with Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie and South African-based Englishman Chris Williams tied for second on 4-under 138.

Montgomerie shot 66 while Williams added a 70 to his opening 68.

Spaniard Pedro Linhart (69) was a further shot back in fourth, while Americans Bob Tway (73) and Tom Watson (66) shared fifth on 2-under 140.

Watson had a faultless round of 66 with three birdies, an eagle at the 18th and no dropped shots.

Langer was beaten in a playoff by Mark Wiebe of the United States in last year’s championship at Royal Birkdale after blowing a two-stroke lead on the final hole when he failed to get out of a greenside bunker.

“It still hurts when I think about it,” Langer said. “If you put me in that situation a hundred times, I think I would win 98 or 99.”

Langer started with a bogey five at the opening hole when he pulled a 4-iron into a bad lie, hit his second over the green and didn’t get up and down.

He recovered with three straight birdies from the fourth, hitting a sand-wedge to six feet, a 3-iron to seven feet and chipped his third to three feet on the par-five sixth and sank it.

Two more birdies came at Nos. 11 and 12, he saved his par at the 14th with a 15-foot putt, then hit a drive and a 5-iron to 10 feet at the 18th and just missed his eagle attempt.

“I played very aggressive and smart today,” said Langer, who was champion at Carnoustie in 2010. “I missed a couple of opportunities early on but I’m very pleased overall. Playing good golf on a great course is a lot of fun. But you have to be very careful, very smart and hopefully execute properly.”

Montgomerie hit back from dropping strokes at the first two holes to post six birdies in the next seven, including five on the run from the fifth, for 31 on the first nine holes. He then got two more on the way and just one dropped shot.

Despite the impressive round, he wasn’t hopeful.

“I’ve got a massive mountain to climb to catch Bernhard,” admitted Montgomerie.

Tway, only two behind Langer overnight, got to 5 under with a birdie at the sixth, but then slipped to level par before closing with two birdies.

Fred Couples had to settle for a par 71, while Tom Pernice Jr. came back from an opening 78 to bag eight birdies and drop just one shot for 64 and the best round of the tournament so far.

Wiebe, playing with Langer, made an early exit after shooting 77 for an 11-over 153 – some 22 strokes worse than the man he beat last year.

MONTREAL – It was almost as if Jim Furyk, Graham DeLaet and Matt Kuchar were a team when they went on a birdie spree in the second round of the US$5.7 million RBC Canadian Open on Friday.

The threesome were all smiles after they combined for 22 birdies (and only three bogeys), while Furyk and DeLaet tied the course record with 63s in near-perfect scoring conditions at Royal Montreal’s usually daunting Blue course.

Furyk, who birdied four straight holes early in his round, emerged with a share of the tournament lead at 10-under 130 with veteran Tim Petrovic, who shot 66.

Weyburn, Sask., native DeLaet in was in a tie for third at 8-under 132 with Kyle Stanley, who had 67.

“They’re fun to play golf with,” Furyk said of DeLaet and Kuchar. “We chatted a lot out there.

“And then to have everyone play well, you’re seeing birdie putts going in, it’s a lot of fun. And I think you can feed off that a little bit. Those guys are making birdies, you feel like putts are going in, it’s a good vibe.”

In a way they are a team. They are among the 10 PGA Tour players sponsored by RBC that includes Graeme McDowell, who had five birdies of his own for a 65 to sit at 7-under 133 along with Justin Hicks (67), Scott Brown (66) and Andrew Svoboda (66).

Kuchar’s 65 put him in a group at 6-under 134 that included first-round co-leader Michael Putnam, who shot 70.

Forty-four-year-old Furyk had extra motivation. He won the event back-to-back in 2006 and 2007. One more win would put him in a tie for the second-most Canadian Open titles with Tommy Armour, Sam Snead and Lee Trevino. Leo Diegel won four in the 1920s.

“Winning any event is special,” said Furyk, who has 14 career victories. “I’ve had a lot of success (in Canada) and really a lot of support here.

“But we’re only at the halfway point.”

Furyk came into the tournament off a sizzling 65 at Royal Liverpool on Sunday that got him fourth place in the British Open. He hopped on a charter after that round to get to the RBC Canadian Open in time to readjust to the Eastern time zone and get reacquainted with the course, which he played while on the U.S. team that defeated the Internationals at the 2007 Presidents Cup.

With the fairways and greens softened by heavy rain on Wednesday, Royal Montreal was ready to be taken.

“The golf course is soft and receptive, and they have it set up where we can attack and fire at pins, so scores are going to be good,” he said. “It would be a totally different scenario if these greens were firm.”

DeLaet isn’t short of motivation either. Canada’s top-ranked player at No. 31 in FedEx Cup standings is seeking his first PGA Tour win and would like nothing more than to become the first home grown player to win the Canadian Open since Pat Fletcher in 1954.

He started the second round at 1-under, then posted five birdies on the first eight holes and nine on the day to go with a pair of bogeys.

“I felt I was in control of my game all day, with a couple of little hiccups,” the 32-year-old said. “I mean, all three of us played great.

“I never saw so many putts rolling in. It was a lot of fun. We were feeding off each other. When you see putts rolling in from everywhere like it was in our group, you just feel like putting’s easy or something and you just start holing them.”

Tying the course record was a particular thrill for the Canadian. It was set in the second round the last time the Canadian Open was played at Royal Montreal in 2001 by David Morland IV and Scott Verplank, the tournament winner.

“To share a course record here is pretty special and to have two guys in one group do it is pretty amazing,” said DeLaet.

Petrovic has been a surprise. The 47-year-old was on a family vacation when he got the call on Tuesday that he was in the RBC Canadian Open as the seventh alternate when another player withdrew. He arrived the next day and barely had time to look at the course.

Then he opened with a six-under 64 and followed with a 66 to take a share of the lead.

I have been hitting the ball really well for about the last three weeks,“ said Petrovic, who missed the cut at his last five tournaments. ”I’ve seen signs of some good rounds coming.

“Am I surprised? Maybe a little.”

It was a rough day for amateur Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hills, Ont., who stole the show in Thursday’s opening round with a 65. The 23-year-old Team Canada member gave back all his strokes by shooting five over par.

“It was a disappointing round,” said Pendrith, who had a double bogey, four bogeys and only one birdie. “To play well yesterday and come out and not play my best, I didn’t hit many greens – only six – and didn’t give myself too many chances for birdies.

“My short game was pretty good – I had a few nice saves – so I can’t be too disappointed about that. The ball striking was off today.”