SOUTHPORT, England – Paul Azinger said Thursday that a quest by Tiger Woods to make his swing better has backfired on him.

Woods has gone through four swing changes with three coaches during his career, each time saying the objective was to get better.

In a conference call for ESPN, Azinger said that in his quest to get better, “I think he’s actually gotten a little bit worse.”

Azinger is a former PGA champion and Ryder Cup captain – and a partner with Woods in one Ryder Cup – who now works as an analyst for ESPN. He will be in the booth next week at the British Open, where Woods is playing a major for the first time this year because of back surgery.

Woods has been stuck on 14 majors since the 2008 U.S. Open. The question on the ESPN call was whether the swing or injuries would be the greater factor if Woods does not catch Jack Nicklaus and his record 18 majors.

“I think one of the big differences that’s very rarely articulated is the fact that while Tiger in his dominance always – for whatever reason – was in this quest to get better, I don’t remember Jack ever saying that,” Azinger said.

“Jack might have made some tweaks and twerks here and there … but Tiger has made astronomical changes in a quest to get better. And as a result, Tiger has actually got a little bit worse. I think we can all pretty much see that.”

Azinger said several golfers have made a mistake changing the swing, but that Nicklaus was not one of them.

“Jack understood that if he could stay the same, he would still dominate,” he said. “Tiger didn’t need to get better. He just didn’t need to get worse. He needed to stay the same and he could still dominate, and in his quest to get better, it’s kind of backfired on him.”

Azinger also questioned why Woods would entrust his swing to two coaches who never competed at a high level.

Woods was with Butch Harmon, who played briefly on the PGA Tour, before turning pro and during his most dominant days in golf from 1996 through 2003. Woods overhauled his swing with Hank Haney and had a two-year stretch when he won 18 times in 34 tournaments, including four majors. He switched to Sean Foley in 2011.

Azinger said that Woods has remained successful is a testament to his greatness as a player.

“I think he’s the only guy who has dramatically changed the way his swing looks and has still been able to play at an extremely high level,” Azinger said.

“When he went from Butch to Hank, even a lay golfer could tell that Tiger’s swing had changed, and he won five or six major doing that. … I don’t know of anybody who’s changed the way they look more than Tiger Woods with respect to his golf swing and still played great. Most people just go away. They disappear trying to do what he’s done.

“It just is a real example of what a great player he has been.”

Azinger just doesn’t understand why Woods changed so much. He suggested reasons as boredom or because of four surgeries on his left knee.

“He may look back and have regrets,” Azinger said. “I know that he’s only worked with one guy that’s played golf at a really high level, and that’s Butch Harmon. And for him to just turn it all over to two guys that have never played on a high level is a bit of a mystery considering how great Tiger was when he did it. I’m not trying to be harsh, I’m just trying to be … I guess it’s more blunt than harsh.”

Azinger has been open with his opinions about Woods in the past. He said at the Masters this year that a difference between Nicklaus and Woods is that players no longer want to copy Woods’ swing. He later that Woods used to be an artistic golfer who now is trying to become an engineer.

Woods missed the cut at Congressional three weeks ago in his return from back surgery. His next tournament is the British Open, which starts Thursday at Royal Liverpool.

“I hope he plays great,” Azinger said. “I mean, I hope he’s recovered from injury. Sometimes you make these changes and it creates injury, as well.”

SOUTHPORT, England – Paul Azinger said Thursday that a quest by Tiger Woods to make his swing better has backfired on him.

Woods has gone through four swing changes with three coaches during his career, each time saying the objective was to get better.

In a conference call for ESPN, Azinger said that in his quest to get better, “I think he’s actually gotten a little bit worse.”

Azinger is a former PGA champion and Ryder Cup captain – and a partner with Woods in one Ryder Cup – who now works as an analyst for ESPN. He will be in the booth next week at the British Open, where Woods is playing a major for the first time this year because of back surgery.

Woods has been stuck on 14 majors since the 2008 U.S. Open. The question on the ESPN call was whether the swing or injuries would be the greater factor if Woods does not catch Jack Nicklaus and his record 18 majors.

“I think one of the big differences that’s very rarely articulated is the fact that while Tiger in his dominance always – for whatever reason – was in this quest to get better, I don’t remember Jack ever saying that,” Azinger said.

“Jack might have made some tweaks and twerks here and there … but Tiger has made astronomical changes in a quest to get better. And as a result, Tiger has actually got a little bit worse. I think we can all pretty much see that.”

Azinger said several golfers have made a mistake changing the swing, but that Nicklaus was not one of them.

“Jack understood that if he could stay the same, he would still dominate,” he said. “Tiger didn’t need to get better. He just didn’t need to get worse. He needed to stay the same and he could still dominate, and in his quest to get better, it’s kind of backfired on him.”

Azinger also questioned why Woods would entrust his swing to two coaches who never competed at a high level.

Woods was with Butch Harmon, who played briefly on the PGA Tour, before turning pro and during his most dominant days in golf from 1996 through 2003. Woods overhauled his swing with Hank Haney and had a two-year stretch when he won 18 times in 34 tournaments, including four majors. He switched to Sean Foley in 2011.

Azinger said that Woods has remained successful is a testament to his greatness as a player.

“I think he’s the only guy who has dramatically changed the way his swing looks and has still been able to play at an extremely high level,” Azinger said.

“When he went from Butch to Hank, even a lay golfer could tell that Tiger’s swing had changed, and he won five or six major doing that. … I don’t know of anybody who’s changed the way they look more than Tiger Woods with respect to his golf swing and still played great. Most people just go away. They disappear trying to do what he’s done.

“It just is a real example of what a great player he has been.”

Azinger just doesn’t understand why Woods changed so much. He suggested reasons as boredom or because of four surgeries on his left knee.

“He may look back and have regrets,” Azinger said. “I know that he’s only worked with one guy that’s played golf at a really high level, and that’s Butch Harmon. And for him to just turn it all over to two guys that have never played on a high level is a bit of a mystery considering how great Tiger was when he did it. I’m not trying to be harsh, I’m just trying to be … I guess it’s more blunt than harsh.”

Azinger has been open with his opinions about Woods in the past. He said at the Masters this year that a difference between Nicklaus and Woods is that players no longer want to copy Woods’ swing. He later that Woods used to be an artistic golfer who now is trying to become an engineer.

Woods missed the cut at Congressional three weeks ago in his return from back surgery. His next tournament is the British Open, which starts Thursday at Royal Liverpool.

“I hope he plays great,” Azinger said. “I mean, I hope he’s recovered from injury. Sometimes you make these changes and it creates injury, as well.”

ABERDEEN, Scotland – Three years after virtually giving up on links golf, a more mature Rory McIlroy appears ready to give it another chance.

McIlroy tamed blustery conditions on day one of the Scottish Open to shoot a 7-under 64 on Thursday, giving him a one-stroke lead and showing his links game is in great shape ahead of next week’s British Open at Hoylake.

“I feel I am as prepared as I have ever been to play this type of golf,” a smiling McIlroy said after rolling in eight birdies – six of which came in a stunning seven-hole spell from Nos. 8-14 at Royal Aberdeen.

How things have changed from 2011.

At a wet and wild British Open at Royal St. George’s that year, a frustrated McIlroy opened his heart, saying he wasn’t a fan of tournaments where the “outcome is predicted so much by the weather” and that “there’s no point in changing your game for one week a year.”

Coming from someone who grew up playing on the links in his native Northern Ireland, it was a strange outburst. That seems to be in the past now.

“I’m going to make it my favorite style for two weeks a year,” said McIlroy, adding he was “relishing the challenge” of playing in the wind and rain.

Unheralded Swede Kristoffer Broberg – who went out in the first group at 6:30 a.m. local time – and Ricardo Gonzalez of Argentina shot 65s to lie one shot behind McIlroy.

Michael Hoey, a compatriot of McIlroy, was a stroke further back after a 5-under 66, and former world No. 1 Luke Donald was among four players to shoot 67. Phil Mickelson missed a 3-foot par putt at the final hole for his only bogey in a 68, a solid start by the American to the defense of his title.

McIlroy’s course-record round stood out, though. Refreshed after a two-week break that included a five-day trip to the Spanish island of Ibiza with friends, the two-time major winner looked back to his sharpest.

He showed a good feel on the greens, especially in that barrage of birdies around the turn, and drove straight and long in the face of winds of up to 20 mph (30 kph). One of the highlights of his round was driving the green on the 436-yard 13th hole while the group ahead was on the putting surface.

“I didn’t really think that was out there,” American golfer Rickie Fowler said of McIlroy’s score.

Ominously for his British Open rivals, McIlroy said he felt completely at one with his game, the “polar opposite” to this time last year when he was “not very confident with anything.”

“Everything was pretty much on,” he said. “In the conditions, this is as low as I have ever been.”

McIlroy has had problems backing up good opening rounds this season, so there is still hope for the rest of the field in northern Scotland.

Up at 4 a.m. local time, Broberg showed the kind of form that won him four events on the second-tier Challenge Tour in 2012, earned him his tour card, and marked him as a star of the future.

Five of his six birdies came from Nos. 6-12 and Broberg had just 24 putts in his round, putting him in contention to claim one of the four qualifying berths for the British Open that are available at Royal Aberdeen for non-exempt players finishing in the top 10.

Gonzalez made light work of a front nine playing into the wind, and was 8 under par after an eagle 3 at No. 12. Two bogeys at the end saw him drop off the lead.

Mickelson’s round was typically eventful. A chip to 10 feet from a cart path at No. 13 was his shot of the day, while the British Open champion avoided a penalty on the 10th when his ball moved on his backswing for his second shot. A sharp gust of wind was to blame.

Lee Westwood recovered from dropping five shots in his first five holes to post a 72, and six-time major winner Nick Faldo, playing his first regular European Tour event since 2010, had a 2-over 73 as he gets ready for a return to the British Open.

Tom Lewis made a hole in one on the par-3 No. 17 on his way to a 70.

SOUTHPORT, England – Ayako Uehara of Japan felt confident with the putter and played in the best weather Royal Birkdale has to offer. It was the right combination to take the lead Thursday in the Women’s British Open. And the best she could manage was a 4-under 68.

Pot bunkers can present problems on any links course. Throw in some thick grass and par becomes a problem.

Michelle Wie could attest to that. The U.S. Women’s Open champion spent too much time chipping out of sand and rough on her way to a 75. Cristie Kerr didn’t make a birdie, shot 81 and withdrew with a sore back. Only nine players broke par, all but two of them in the relative calm of a sunny morning along the Irish Sea.

“It’s only going to get harder,” defending champion Stacy Lewis said after a 71. “Anything under par on this golf course is a good score.”

Uehara got her lone mistake out of the way early and made another bogey after the opening hole. She made three birdies in a four-hole stretch, added two birdies on the back nine and built a one-shot lead over Mo Martin.

“Ayako obviously put up a really good number,” said Lewis, who played in her group. “She seems like she wasn’t in trouble at all. She was just greens, greens, center of the green. You can kind of learn a little bit from that and maybe not go at so many pins.”

Morgan Pressel scrambled her way to a 70, joined by Sarah Kemp and Mina Harigae. The only players who broke par in the afternoon were former U.S. Women’s Open champion So Yeon Ryu and Amy Yang, who played in the final group at the U.S. Women’s Open last month. Both shot 71.

“I don’t think they can make it any easier,” Pressel said.

That doesn’t bode well for Wie, who was introduced on the first tee as the U.S Women’s Open champion and then posted her highest score of the year. Wie had to birdie the par-5 18th hole – the only time she hit driver – to finish 3 over.

“Thought I made a good game plan,” Wie said. “Just didn’t hit good shots today.”

Canada’s Alena Sharp, the lone Canuck in the field, did fare better than Wie. The Hamilton, Ont. native carded a 2-over 74.

The scores Thursday might have been a preview of what the men can expect next week at Royal Liverpool for The Open Championship, through Royal Birkdale is a stronger test. The links courses are separated by about 25 miles, and a wet spring has allowed the grass to get thick and lush. That makes it difficult to make contact with the golf ball, assuming it can be found. Tiger Woods won at Liverpool in 2006 on a fast course with wispy grass.

“The golf course is so hard, I couldn’t imagine four days of this much rough and all the wind and everything it entails,” Lewis said “It’s nice to have it pretty calm today.”

Pressel had 23 putts, though only four of them were for birdie. She escaped with par when she found trouble off the tee and one time salvaged bogey. Playing her third shot from the right rough to a pin on the right side of the tough 16th green protected by a pot bunker, Pressel played short of the green and got up-and-down to limit the damage. Her putter made all the difference.

“I was happy that I made it look easier than it actually was,” Pressel said.

It wasn’t like that for everyone.

Paula Creamer was 5-over par after five holes and rallied for a 75. The best comeback belonged to Jessica Korda, who went out in 39 and then made four birdies on the back nine to return to even par. Karrie Webb, Inbee Park, Suzann Pettersen and Kraft Nabisco champion Lexi Thompson also were at even par.

The way it looked Thursday, anyone around par might be in good shape when it ends on Sunday.

Wie now has to climb back on a course that makes it feel as though she has to scale a mountain. She tried to rely on her powerful stinger off the tee, using mostly hybrids, to stay short of the bunkers and out of the rough. But she hit only seven fairways, leading to three of her bogeys.

“I definitely felt like my tempo was a little bit off,” Wie said. “But it’s a long way until Sunday, and I battled out there. It’s not the score I was looking forward to on Thursday, but it could have been a lot worse.”

Martin had a plan for Birkdale, too. She is one of the shorter hitters on the LPGA Tour and can’t recall a round where she hit so many 3-woods off the tee, all in an effort to stay out of trouble.

“Every hole, every shot is its own test,” Martin said. “You just really have to have so much strategy. It keeps you in the moment and it’s a challenge. It’s a fun challenge.”

Calgary – Jaclyn Lee, a member of Team Canada’s Development Squad, capped off the Alberta Junior Girls Championship with a final round 73 to defend her title at Bearspaw Country Club, winning by 4 shots over Development Squad teammate Sabrine Garrison.

The 17-year-old Calgary native also captured the Sun Life Financial Ladies Amateur Championship one week earlier with a win at Whitetail Crossing in Mundare, Alta.

“It hasn’t really settled in yet,” said Lee. “I never thought this would happen. I’m really excited to win these past two weeks.”

Despite bogeys on holes 1, 2, and 4, Lee was able to overcome her erratic start with birdies on 5, 8, and 9 before cruising through the back nine to cap off the championship in convincing fashion.

Lee, joined by Calgary’s Sabrine Garrison and Bria Jansen of Cochrane, Alta. will form the Alberta Junior Girls Interprovincial team that will compete at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship in a few weeks. She will also represent Alberta on the Ladies Amateur Interprovincial team as her busy schedule continues.

Calgary’s Kenna Hughes, 16, won the Juvenile Girls Championship after a 74, her low round for the championship. The round was even better than it sounded, but a triple bogey on the 16th hole negated 3 birdies on 7, 8, and 12. Still, she’ll take the positive of her good score and overall success in the championship and look to build on it at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship.

At 17-years-old, Lee is still eligible to play in 2015 and will attempt to defend her title once more, hoping to become the fourth player to win three or more Alberta Junior titles.

Click here for full results.

Uehara, qui a remis une carte de 68, soit quatre coups sous la normale, détient présentement un coup d’avance sur Mo Martin, détentrice du deuxième rang à moins 3.

La meneuse a notamment obtenu trois oiselets en quatre trous, avant d’en ajouter deux autres lors du neuf de retour.

Mina Harigae, Sarah Kemp et Morgan Pressel, de leur côté, se partagent le troisième échelon, un coup devant Holly Clyburn, Stacy Lewis, So-Yeon Ryu et Amy Yang.

Marina Alex, Julieta Granada, Lydia Ko, Jessica Korda, Amelia Lewis, Ai Miyazato, Azahara Munoz, Anna Nordqvist, Inbee Park, Suzann Pettersen, Ji-Yai Shin, Emma Talley, Lexi Thompson et Karrie Webb, pour leur part, se situent en 10^e place, à quatre coups de la tête.

Cristie Kerr, qui a joué 81, a quant à elle été contrainte d’abandonner en raison de maux de dos.

Du côté des Canadiennes, Alena Sharp se trouve au 36^e rang à plus 2.

Oakville, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada are pleased to announce the addition of PGA Junior League Golf into the programming of CN Future Links—Canada’s national junior golf program.

PGA Junior League Golf was launched in the United States in partnership with the PGA of America as a pilot program in 2011. The mission of the program is to introduce a structured team environment to foster an enjoyment of the game among junior golfers that will last a lifetime.

The program is delivered through a low-stress, two-player scramble format accommodating juniors of all skill levels. Each event consists of a 9-hole match that is divided into three segments, allowing PGA of Canada professionals to ‘substitute’ players throughout from their team of 10-12 juniors.

In 2013, PGA Junior League Golf saw nearly 9,000 juniors and over 740 teams participate in the United States. At season end, six regional championships were completed, followed by the national championship.

With the partnership, CN Future Links will deliver PGA Junior League Golf locally in 2014 with the potential for a national championship in coming years. The program operates under the official name: PGA Junior League Golf delivered by CN Future Links.

“The team scramble format is a great way for juniors of all skill levels to experience the thrill of competition in a friendly, safe and welcoming atmosphere,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “We are very excited about the addition of this program into the CN Future Links suite of junior programs available to facilities across the country.”

PGA Junior League Golf delivered by CN Future Links is available in Canada at pgajrleaguegolf.ca. PGA of Canada professionals can utilize the website by registering a team for juniors to join. Following registration, teams are equipped with matching jerseys to be worn in scheduled events against neighbouring teams.

Under the leadership of PGA of Canada golf professionals, PGA Junior League Golf further adds to the positive, fun-filled experience of CN Future Links programming.

“The PGA Junior League is an excellent addition to CN Future Links and allows PGA of Canada members to be leaders in the delivery in the program,” said Gary Bernard, PGA of Canada CEO. “The partnership between the PGA of Canada and Golf Canada continues to grow, thus ensuring the continued growth of developing world-class programs for golf in this country.”

CN Future Links is a joint initiative of Golf Canada, the PGA of Canada and Canada’s provincial golf associations, which offers a full suite of junior golf programs for boys and girls ages 6-18, from beginners to those with a high degree of experience and playing ability. The CN Future Links program is committed to providing junior golfers and young enthusiast in communities across Canada with affordable and accessible golf programs.

Since launching in 1996, more than one million juniors have experienced quality golf activities through the CN Future Links program.

EDMOND, Okla. – Colin Montgomerie has been impressed with Bernhard Langer’s success.

The 56-year-old has three victories this season and won the most recent event, the Senior Players Championship. He has everyone’s attention as he heads into the U.S. Senior Open at Oak Tree National, starting Thursday.

“He’s as good as the German football team are, which is ridiculously good,” Montgomerie said of the team that advanced to the World Cup championship match after a 7-1 rout of Brazil.

Langer also has three runner-up finishes and 11 top 10s in 12 events. He has 2,362 points in the race for the Charles Schwab Cup; the second-place golfer, Jay Haas, is 882 points behind.

Langer is playing some of the best golf of his career.

“Well, the whole game has been pretty solid,” Langer said. “I’m hitting it pretty decent from tee to green and the putter is maybe a little bit better this year, just a fraction, than in previous years. It shows in the scores.”

This is the first Senior Open to be held at Oak Tree, but not the first significant event. Jeff Sluman won the 1988 PGA Championship at the course and Haas won the 2006 Senior PGA Championship.

Langer said Oak Tree is a good and difficult course.

“I would think it’s the hardest course I have ever played, or one of the hardest courses, the way it’s set up right now,” he said. “It’s just extremely demanding. And if the wind blows on top of that, it’s going to make it even harder.”

Langer will have competition. Kenny Perry, the defending U.S. Senior Open champion, has won three of the previous six senior major championships. Those victories give him confidence heading into the Senior Open.

“I look forward to the major tournaments now because I can be a little more aggressive,” he said. “I feel like I’m a lot more competitive and I have a lot more confidence. When I come in each week, I’m expecting to win. I may not win and I may not even make the cut, I don’t know, but I feel good mentally as I approach these events.”

Scott Verplank turned 50 on Wednesday, reaching the age requirement by one day. The Edmond, Oklahoma, resident has finished in the top 10 in every major professional championship event. Though he has the advantage of playing this event on his home course and he will be the youngest in the field, he doesn’t expect an easy time.

“These guys can still flat-out play,” Verplank said. “I’m not going to able to just roll out of bed and show up on the first tee and expect to beat everybody. I’m going to have to play at a very high level to compete.”

Vijay Singh will make his second start on the Champions Tour. The 51-year-old previously played in the 2013 Pacific Links Hawai’i Championship, where he tied for sixth. He won 34 PGA Tour events, including three majors.

Other former champions in the field include Olin Browne (2011), Brad Bryant (2007), Roger Chapman (2012), Dave Eichelberger (1999), Fred Funk (2009), Hale Irwin (1998, 2000), Peter Jacobsen (2004) Larry Laoretti (1992) and Perry (2013).

Irwin, the only two-time Senior Open winner in the field, would tie Jack Nicklaus for the career record of eight senior major titles with a victory.

Even with all the big names, most of the pre-event chatter has focused on Langer.

“It’s fantastic to see that someone can actually, in my book, improve over 50,” Montgomerie, who is third in the points standings, said. “There are very few guys in the world that can improve over 40. Bernhard Langer appears to be improving over 50. That’s a real compliment to say. So of course he’s the guy to beat.”

(Winnipeg) – Cape Coral, Florida’s Erik Barnes carded an 8-under 63 at Pine Ridge Golf Club in Winnipeg Thursday to take a one-stroke lead after 18 holes at The Players Cup.

The 26-year old put an exclamation point on his round, knocking his approach to four feet on the 18^th hole and converting the birdie to lead by one over fellow playing partner Josh Creel. Barnes is looking to continue his solid play from last week, when he finished fourth last week at the SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel.

“I’m playing well right now. It seems like the ball just wants to find the hole for me,” said Barnes. “Obviously it wasn’t the easiest conditions today and me and Creel just kind of kept feeding off of each other and kept making birdies. We both knocked some putts in and the next thing you know we played really well.”

Barnes made six birdies on the day, including a pair of 40-footers on the second and eighth holes to go along with a chip-in for eagle on the short par-4 13^th, where he drove it over the green and holed a delicate pitch down the slope.

Barnes added that he was spurred on by playing partner Creel, who briefly reached 8-under on the day before a closing bogey left him with a 7-under 64 on the day in solo second.

“It does help when you’re seeing someone else hit good shots and make some putts. It kind of gives you some extra motivation. It was fun out there today,” said Barnes.

“Erik and I were battling back and forth all day and I think when you’re seeing someone else play well it’s easier to feed off them and do the same. It was a solid day,” added Creel, a second year PGA Tour Canada member from Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Barnes capped his day with a birdie on the 18^th, where he drew a flier lie in the rough and hit a 7-iron into the wind from 177 yards, a distance he said he would normally hit a 5- or 6-iron. He knocked it to within four feet and calmly rolled in the birdie for the best round of the day.

“When you’re hitting a shot like that from that lie in there close, it’s a good day.”

The last time Sarnia, Ontario’s Matt Hill teed it up at The Players Cup, he was playing some of the best golf of his life, having captured his first PGA Tour Canada win the week before and sitting atop the Order of Merit, where he would go on to finish the 2012 season.

Hill, who finished tied for eighth here in 2012, showed that his game remains solid on Thursday, carding a 4-under 67 to share sixth spot after one round. He’s the top Canadian after round 1.

“I wouldn’t say I hit it great, but I made a lot of putts,” said Hill. “If I can hit it a little better and keep it up with the putter, it should be a good week.”

The former Team Canada member and 2009 Jack Nicklaus Award winner at N.C. State said he holds fond memories of his appearance here in 2012, when he would go on to be named PGA Tour Canada Player of the Year.

“I’m trying to take as much as possible from that year,” said Hill. I didn’t really make a lot of bogeys that year, which was fun. I’m just trying to do the same thing,” Hill said.

Ste-Victoire-de-Sorel, Qué. – CN Future Links Québec continued today at Club de golf Continental, Alyssa Getty and Kelvin Lim continue to lead their respective divisions after the second round of play.

Lim, 12, of Thornhill, Ont. carded a 2-over-par 74 on Wednesday to sit at even-par after two rounds. Lim broke out of yesterday’s tie with 15-year old Jason Chung, also of Thornhill, who now sits tied for tenth after an 8-over 80. Brendan Seys, 16, of Port Lambton, Ont. follows Lim by one stroke with a total score of 145, alongside 17-year-old Raphael Lapierre-Messier of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Qué. and Thomas ‘Jack’ Simpson, 15, of Toronto in a tie for third at 146 for the tournament.

In the Junior Girls Division, Alyssa Getty, 17, of Ruthven, Ont. continues to lead after shooting 7-over-par 79 in the second round for a total score of 5-over-149. Getty is followed by 13-year-old Céleste Dao of Notre-Dame Ile Perrot, Qué. who carded a 78 today, to sit three strokes behind at 152 for the championship. A trio of players including, Oceane Jacques, 17, of St-Gabriel de Valcartier, Qué., Diana McDonald, 16, of Kingston, Ont., and Danielle Sawyer, 16, of Grafton, Ont.  sit tied for third at 14-over 158.

After Gabriel Gingras aced the eighth hole in yesterday’s opening round, Emilie Tyndall continued the excitement in the second round, scoring a hole-in-one on the 160-yard 13^th hole.

The top six competitors in the Junior Boys division of each of six regional CN Future Links Championships being held in 2014 earn exemptions into the 2014 Canadian Junior Boys Championship to be contested July 28 – August 1 at the Legends on the Niagara’s Battlefield Course in Niagara Falls, Ont.

The Junior Girls champion from each 2014 CN Future Links Championship earns an exemption into the 2014 Canadian Junior Girls Championship, which runs July 28 – August 1 at Thornhill Golf and Country Club in Thornhill, Ont.

The third and final round of CN Future Links Québec takes place tomorrow, beginning at 7:30 a.m. EST. For complete scoring and information, click here.