SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France – Kevin Stadler increased his lead at the French Open to three strokes by shooting a 3-under 68 in the second round on Friday.

The American made six birdies and dropped three shots, including a double bogey on his last hole, for a 10-under 132 total.

“I wasn’t expecting to play this well obviously, but I enjoyed the golf course,” Stadler said. “I thought it was a course that suited me from the very beginning.”

Stadler was making his French Open debut but quickly got a good feel for this punishing golf course that will host the Ryder Cup in 2018.

Frenchman Victor Riu (67) was in second place, two strokes clear of 2012 winner Marcel Siem (72). Defending champion Graeme McDowell (69) and U.S. Open champion Martin Kaymer (68) stayed in contention, respectively tied for fourth and 11th, while Thomas Bjorn and George Coetzee missed the cut.

“(If) he keeps playing (like) that, he’s going to be tough to catch,” McDowell said about Stadler.

Stadler had a six-stroke cushion after 16 holes Friday and was on course to tie the record for the tournament’s lowest score after the first two rounds, set by Seve Ballesteros with 130 in 1985.

But he failed to find the fairway with his first three shots on the par-5 No. 9, then sent the ball into the bunker with his fourth.

“Been struggling the last couple months, but I had a nice week off last week,” Stadler said. “I pretty much just completely got away from it, didn’t really touch a club other than one day, and got over here, and just kind of recharged the batteries a little bit. The swing flaws kind of disappear when you don’t touch a club too often, and I felt comfortable from the get-go once I got here.”

Stadler won the Phoenix Open in February and was in a tie for eighth at the Masters in April.

Craig Stadler, Kevin’s father, won the Masters in 1982 and shared 22nd place at the French Open in 1987.

“I just read recently that he played here,” Stadler said. “I didn’t know he played here. So we didn’t talk about it at all.”

Siem finished the first round one stroke behind Stadler, but lost further ground by making five bogeys and four birdies.

“The 10-under, when you see that all day long on the scoreboard this morning with no wind, I just tried to keep up there,” Siem said. “I just tried to equalize that. Just tried to shoot 4-under today. That was the problem. You have to be very, very patient on this golf course, otherwise it kills you, and that’s what happened today.”

Jose Maria Olazabal, the 2001 champion, retired because of a back injury.

GRAVENHURST, Ont. — Team Ontario member and Waterloo resident Trevor Ranton outlasted 67 other junior boys to claim the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) 2014 Investors Group Junior Boys’ Match Play Championship on July 4 at Taboo Resort. The 17-year-old who plays out of Whistle Bear Golf Club topped Whitby’s Spencer Dobbs in the final 3&2.

Ranton was ranked fifth heading into the match, while Dobbs held the No. 3 seed in the tournament. Ranton was dominant. In the semifinals he earned a 7&6 win over Niagara Falls’ Jaret Chipman. In the quarter finals, Ranton was victorious 3&1 over Toronto’s Minwoo Park. Ranton’s quest to the title also went through Selwyn’s Mitchell Holden (5&4), Toronto’s Will Gavarkovs (5&3), and Shelburne’s Kyle Johnston (7&5).

As for Dobbs, he earned a birth in the finals by defeating another Team Ontario member and last year’s runner up, Unionville’s Max Sear (2&1). Dobbs also picked up wins over Elmvale’s Andrew Nagel (5&4), North Bay’s Ryan Neil (19 holes), Seaforth’s Logan Lammerant (5&4), and Janetville’s Ryan Trapp (7&6).

After the win, Ranton talked about his successful week at the tournament.

“I started the week playing really well,” said Ranton. “Through the middle three matches I faltered a little bit, but was still able to win the second and third matches pretty easily. Then in the quarter-final match, I was two-down thru 11 and then found my game and managed to win. The semi-final match was my best of the week. I started with a bogey, but then followed it up with five birdies on the next 11 holes.”

It was the big win in his semi-final match that helped give Ranton the push he needed heading into the finals.

“I got a lot of confidence and momentum after that and wanted to keep it going,” he added. “I started really well in the finals. I started with a birdie and really got back in the grove I was in the day before.”

Ranton says there were points in the final match where he felt he was able to take control.

“He (Dobbs) made a couple of mistakes early and I kept playing steadily. I thought I was doing pretty well and then he made a birdie on 11 and put it really close on 12, so I kind of faltered there. But I got up and down to halve 12 and then birdied 13 and that’s when I thought I probably had it.”

Ranton still has a busy summer ahead including participating in the GAO Investors Group Men’s Amateur, the U.S. Junior Amateur and the GAO Investors Group Junior Boys Championship.

RICHMOND, British Columbia – Naomi Ko won the 2014 British Columbia Golf Junior Girls’ Championship title at The Dunes at Kamloops on Friday with a 6-under par 286 after four days of competitive play.

The Team Canada member shot even par on the par 73, 5886-yard course on the final day of the championship on her way to winning the title.

“I felt pretty good going into the round, I started off with a bogey so I knew I had to make a couple birdies to get where I needed to,” said Ko. “Plus Kathy and Alix are really good players so I knew I couldn’t get behind, I knew I needed to make birdies.”

Ko, 16, made four birdies on Friday to counterbalance her four bogeys it would be enough to keep her in first. After shooting a 69 on the first day of competition she co-led the championship with Alix Kong and Hannah Lee, but slipped into a tie for fourth halfway through the competition.

“I knew it was a four-day tournament so I knew I had 36 holes to recover, which I did yesterday when I shot 3-under,” added Ko. “I didn’t let myself get down, I just tried to stay as positive as I could on the course and it worked.”

Ko adds the 2014 Junior Girls’ title to a long existing list of achievements as a junior golfer, including a second place finish at the 2013 BC Juvenile Girls’ Championship, third at the 2013 BC Junior Girls’ Championship and  a tie for 11th at the 2013 BC Women’s Amateur Championship, just to name a few.

Kathy Lim, of Langley, finished two strokes back of Ko as the BC Junior Girls’ runner-up with a 4-under 288 after playing incredibly consistently throughout the week with scores of 71-71-71-75. The 16-year-old was never out of contention for the title and was even tied for first after the second round.

Rounding out the top three is the championship’s leader thru the first three days of competition. Kong, who was celebrating her 18th birthday, recorded her highest score of the week on the final day (77) posting a final score of 289 (-3) only one stroke behind Lim.

The Capilano Golf and Country Club member struggled early on, double bogeying back-to-back on holes 5 and 6, and would not be able to recover on the back half shooting 1-under. Her efforts would, however, be enough to earn her the final spot on the team named to Nationals.

Ko, Lim, and Kong will represent British Columbia Golf at the Canadian Junior Girl’s Championship being held at Thornhill Golf & Country Club in Thornhill, Ont. July 28 – August 1.

Ste-Victoire de Sorel, Qué.  – Club de golf Continental in Ste-Victoire de Sorel is set to host the fifth CN Future Links Championship event of 2014 – the CN Future Links Québec Championship – which will be held July 7-10, with a practice round being staged on July 7^th.

The 54-hole stroke play championship will feature some of the country’s top junior golfers aged 11-18. Players will vie for titles in a Junior Boys and Junior Girls division, respectively.

“Golf Canada is excited to head to Québec for the second last CN Future Links stop of 2014,” said Tournament Director Justine Decock. “Québec is home to many talented junior golfers, so we can expect low scores and exciting competition.”

Located in Ste-Victoire de Sorel, Qué., Club de golf Continental was designed in 1992 by Richard Faucher. The club previously played host to Golf Québec’s Provincial Junior Championship in 2008.

“We are lucky to have the opportunity to see such a talented bunch of young golfers right before our eyes,” said CN Future Links Québec Tournament Chair Jacques Sévigny. “We remember 2008 when Brooke Henderson charmed the region with her performance… Who knows, a new champion may be among us.”

Notable Québec players in the Junior Boys division include Sun Kim, 16, of Île-Perrot and Étienne Brault, 18, of Mercier. Kim took home the CN Future Links Ontario Champion title at The Rock Golf Club in Minnett, Ont. earlier this season, while Brault notched a top-10 finish at the event.

Annie Lacombe of Laval, Qué. and Océane Jacques of St-Gabriel de Valcartier, Qué. are ones to watch in the Junior Girls division. Lacombe was last year’s CN Future Links Québec Champion and has already had a busy 2014 season competing in the Canadian Women’s Tour event in Niagara Falls, Ont. and CN Future Links Ontario. Jacques also competed in May’s CN Future Links Ontario event, and saw a third place finish in the 2013 CN Future Links Québec Championship. Ontario’s Alyssa Getty is also entered into the Junior Girls field. Getty finished tied for 5^th at the 2013 Canadian Junior Girls Championship.

The top six competitors in the Junior Boys division of each CN Future Links Championship will earn exemptions into the 2014 Canadian Junior Boys Championship, which will be contested July 28 – August 1 at Legends on the Niagara’s Battlefield Course in Niagara Falls, Ont.  The Junior Girls champion from each CN Future Links Championship will earn an exemption into the 2014 Canadian Junior Girls Championship which runs July 28 – August 1 at Thornhill Golf and Country Club in Thornhill, Ont. Additionally, the 2014 Junior Girls Champion will earn an exemption into a 2015 Canadian Women’s Tour event.

Starting times, post-round results and a full field list are available online.

The CN Future Links Junior Golf Championships are part of CN’s ongoing partnership with Golf Canada and their commitment to junior golf. Focused on supporting safe and fun activities that have a positive impact on children’s health and well being, CN’s investment into CN Future Links is helping to increase grassroots junior golf participation in communities across Canada.

The CN Future Links tournament schedule includes one more stop in the 2014 season, the CN Future Links Atlantic Championship taking place from July 13-16 at Humber Valley Resort in Little Rapids, Nfld.

For more information on the 2014 CN Future Links Quebec Championship, click here.

CAMBRIDGE— Team Ontario member and Ottawa resident Grace St-Germain became just the second player in the history of the Golf Association of Ontario’s (GAO) Junior Girls’ Match Play Championship to repeat as champion. St-Germain, 15-years-old from the Hylands Golf Club, took the win on July 4 with a 1up victory over Burlington’s Madison Easterbrook.

St-Germain got out to a good start taking the first hole. At the turn she was 2up, and at one point on the back nine she led by three. However, Easterbrook mounted a comeback and was just 1down heading to the 17^th hole. Easterbrook would take the hole squaring the match with one to play. Both players put their second shot passed the green on 18, but both manage to get their third to within makeable putting distance. After Easterbrook missed her putt, St-Germain had the chance to win the match with hers and did just that.

“It feels really good to win back-to-back,” said St-Germain. “I put a lot of effort into it and everything worked out.”

To reach the finals, St-Germain overcame fellow Team Ontario teammate, Richmond Hill’s Monet Chun (3&2) in the semi finals, Crystina Kertsos (1up) in the quarter finals, and Hailey McLaughlin (7&5) in the opening round.

“My hardest match would have been the finals against Maddi. Monet put up a really good fight in the semis too. It was a good match we both don’t talk much, but still spoke a bit during the match.”

As for Easterbrook, 18-years-old from Whistle Bear Golf Club, she defeated Guelph’s Katie McTaggart (3&1) in the semis, Grafton’s Danielle Sawyer (1up) in the quarters, and Kingsville’s Alyssa Getty (4&3) in the opening round.

Despite having a 3up lead, St-Germain gave full credit to Easterbrook for her comeback. “She played really well! She won a couple of quick holes and we were back to being even. I was really nervous when we were all square after 17. I knew 18 was a hard hole so I just tried to play it smart.”

After seeing Easterbrook miss her putt on the 18^th hole, St-Germain remembers how she felt starring down her final putt. “I was standing over the putt and I was just shaking. I thought to myself ‘you have made these before’ so I just stepped up and hit it.”

Looking back on the week, St-Germain recognized that her improved putting was a major reason why she was able to repeat. “I putted pretty well, which helped me today and yesterday. I have been working on putting a lot lately.”

For St-Germain, she will now turn her attention to the Investors Group Junior Girls Championship the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.

(Saskatoon) – Arkansas’ Drew Stoltz cruised to a 9-under 63 at Dakota Dunes Golf Links on Thursday to take a two stroke lead after the first round of the SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel.

The 29-year old Arkansas native carded nine birdies, an eagle and two bogeys for the round, playing the par-5s in 5-under. While the field scoring average rose to 74.20, Stoltz’s career-best round on PGA Tour Canada gave him the lead by two over Michigan’s Matt Harmon, who finished shortly after Stoltz with a 65, and by four over Calgary’s Ryan Yip, who finished tied for second here last year and posted a 5-under 67.

“If you would have told me I shot this score this morning, I probably wouldn’t have believed it,” said Stoltz.

Winds gusting north of 50 km/h firmed up the course and challenged players on the links-style layout, a stark change from last year’s birdie-filled opening round when the field averaged 69.858 – the best scoring average by the field to par in any round on PGA Tour Canada in 2013.

“When I got here today, the wind was blowing a lot harder than it did yesterday,” said Stoltz. “It played completely different. I really didn’t know what was going to be a good score, but I turned in 3-under and made a few more, and all of a sudden I was looking at a really good score.”

With two cuts made in three starts on the season, Stoltz currently sits 81^st on the Order of Merit and is hoping to cash in on a big week at Dakota Dunes. The former Texas Christian University Horned Frog said he knows he’ll need a handful of standout finishes to achieve the ultimate goal of finishing in the top five on the Order of Merit and advancing to the Web.com Tour.

“The way it’s structured out here, if you can get hot a couple of weeks and get a win or two, that’s kind of what it’s all about,” said Stoltz. “Your good weeks need to be great weeks and that’s kind of the key to getting through.”

Stoltz is making a return to PGA Tour Canada this year after a successful 2013, when he won the Metropolitan Open in Missouri and claimed another win on the All-American Gateway Tour. He earned conditional status at the 2014 California Qualifying Tournament.

One shot behind Yip was a quartet of players including Montreal’s Beon-Yeong Lee, who earned an RBC Canadian Open spot two weeks ago in regional qualifying, as well as Thornhill, Ont.’s Ben Silverman, Washington’s Brock Mackenzie, and Florida’s Jeff Corr.

Seventeen-year-old Jaclyn Lee of Calgary maintained her two day lead through the final round at Whitetail Crossing Golf Club to claim the 2014 Sun Life Financial Alberta Ladies Amateur crown.

The Calgary native and Team Canada Development Team member had a great day in Mundare, shooting a 73 on the final day to close out the 54-hole tournament at 4-under. Her seven stroke lead at the turn made her nearly untouchable through the back nine as her partners and fellow Calgarians Jennifer Ha and Grace Howie finished the tournament at -1 and +15 respectively.

The final round presented competitors with a challenging 25 kilometer wind, but gifted them with blue skies and warm temperatures.

Lee will join Ha and Becky Martin of Medicine Hat on Team Alberta at the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship in Woodstock, Ontario from July 22nd-25th at Craigowan Golf & Country Club.

In preparation for next week’s Alberta Junior Girls Championship at Bearspaw Country Club, Lee is happy with how her game is shaping up after three rounds in Mundare.

“My last three rounds definitely gave me confidence to know that I can play well next week,” said Lee. “I will take this confidence with me to Bearspaw and hopefully be able to play consistently throughout the week.”

Lee didn’t let the pressure of the final round get to her and was able to remained focused through the last 18.

“I thought of today as the start of the tournament and just wanted to play my best,” added Lee. “I wasn’t concerned with what Jen (Ha) was doing because I knew that things could change quickly if she got on a roll.”

Crediting the support of her team for her championship win, Lee was thankful to have such a great group behind her on and off the course.

“It’s the people like my caddy Landon Goselwitz, my coach Paul Horton, my Team Canada coach Ann Carroll and my mom that motivate me to continue playing the sport I love,” she said.

Jessica Luciuk of  Barrhead, Alta. finished at 7-over thru 54 holes and claimed the Mid-Amateur title. This is Luciuk’s victory in the category. But, that wasn’t on her mind going into today’s round.

“I’m honestly not even thinking about the Mid Amateur category when I come out to this tournament,” Luciuk said. “I’m just happy to be playing with some talented young players who challenge me to compete.”

The 2014 Mid Master Championship trophy belongs to Kim Carrington of Calgary as her final round of 78 secured her the title with a +15 tally over three days.

Click here for full results.

Trail, B.C. – The CN Future Links Western Championship continued today at Birchbank Golf Course and the competition remained fierce during second round action.

Trevor Yu of Vancouver shot a 1-under-par 71 to sit 4-under for the championship, three-strokes ahead of yesterday’s leader Tyler McKay.

McKay, from Rossland, B.C., now sits in second at 1-under-par 143 after a round of 77. Jake Scarrow of Dewdney, B.C.  and Cole McKinnon of Surrey, B.C. share third at even-par 144.

In the girl’s competition, Annie Songeun Lee of Surrey, B.C. fired a 4-over-76 to break yesterday’s opening round tie with Ye Ji Lim. Lim, from Langley, B.C., shot a second round score of 10-over and now holds a share of third with Calgary’s Quinn Fitzgerald, who shot 5-over-77 Thursday. The pair finished the second round with scores totaling 12-over-156.   Vancouver’s Natalie Chu continues to hold on to second place, trailing Lee by one stroke with a total score of 7-over-par 151.

The top six competitors in the Junior Boys division of each of six regional CN Future Links Championships being held in 2014 will 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 will earn an exemption into the 2014 Canadian Junior Girls Championship which runs July 28 – August 1 at Thornhill Golf and Country Club in Thornhill, Ont. Additionally, the Junior Girls Champion will earn an exemption into a 2015 Canadian Women’s Tour event.

The final round of CN Future Links Western takes place tomorrow, beginning at 7:30am PDT. For complete scoring and information, click here.

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia – Mexico’s Jose de Jesus Rodriguez had a hole-in-one and another eagle Thursday in the Web.com Tour’s Nova Scotia Open en route to an 8-under 63 and a two-stroke lead.

Rodriguez holed a 9-iron from 166 yards on No. 5, and made a 30-yard chip for eagle on the par-5 17th.

“I hit it very good and I had a lot of opportunities,” Rodriguez said. “In the last tournament I hit it very good, but I didn’t make the putts. Today, I made the putts.”

David Skinns, James Sacheck and Aaron Goldberg shot 65, and Canadian Adam Hadwin, the Chile Classic winner in March, was another stroke back along with Henrik Norlander.

Hadwin had a bogey-free round.

“I didn’t struggle all day,” the Abbotsford, B.C native said. “I burned a few edges and had tap-ins for pars.”

Hadwin finished the day 5th, while Merrit, B.C.’s Roger Sloan finished the day tied for 7th after a 67.

The event is the first Web.com Tour event to be held in Canada.

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. – Jonas Blixt’s memory of raising the trophy last year carried over to a strong start at the Greenbrier Classic.

The defending champion shot a 6-under 64 on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead over former Stanford star Patrick Rodgers and seven others at Old White TPC.

Blixt tied for second in the Masters but missed the cut in three of his last four starts. Returning to The Greenbrier resort brought him back to a comfort zone.

Starting on the 10th hole in the morning with little wind, Blixt had six birdies on his front nine and made the turn at 5 under. Six of the Swede’s eight birdies came on putts of 10 feet or less. He also chipped in from the rough for birdie on No. 16.

“The golf course is in perfect shape, like last year,” Blixt said. “You come back with a bunch of confidence knowing that you won here before.

“If I can get my putter to work the way it did today, I felt like I hit the ball on line every time, and it could be a really good week.”

Rodgers is looking to make his third straight cut since turning pro. He holed a 118-yard wedge for eagle on the par-4 first hole – his 10th hole of the day.

After the round, he was back on the driving range.

“Being a new pro out here, you’re always trying to figure out and establish your routines,” Rodgers said, “and mine is just kind of cool down after the round and working on the things I felt like I can improve, and hopefully be ready for tomorrow.”

Also at 65 under were Chris Kirk, D.A. Points, James Hahn, Jason Bohn, Joe Durant, Jim Renner and Danny Lee.

Steve Stricker, who has wife Nicki carrying his bag this week, was among eight player at 66. Jimmy Johnson, his regular caddie, was already scheduled to carry Chris Kirk’s bag when Stricker became a late entry at The Greenbrier.

Stricker is playing only his eighth tour event this year. He’ll compete again next week at John Deere and is leaning against going to the British Open unless he has one or more high finishes before then.

“We’ll just keep plugging along and see what happens,” Stricker said.

Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson played alongside Keegan Bradley and Webb Simpson, getting a close-up view as he contemplates his three captain’s picks for the Sept. 26-28 event at Gleneagles in Scotland.

“The Ryder Cup’s a long way in the distance,” Watson said. “I’m watching other people as well. It’s fun to be out here to get to know the young players a little bit better.”

Watson took a similar approach in April, playing with Jordan Spieth at the RBC Heritage and Patrick Reed at Augusta National.

Watson has said he would use a wild-card pick on Tiger Woods if he’s healthy and playing well, leaving all sorts of possibilities with the other two picks.

Simpson, who shot 71 on Thursday, is 17th in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings and Bradley, who shot 67, is 18th. Others ahead of them in the Greenbrier Classic field are Kirk at No. 11, Brendon Todd at No. 13 and Kevin Na at No. 15.

The top nine get automatic berths on the U.S. squad. Reed, also in the Greenbrier field, is at No. 9, while Phil Mickelson, not playing this week, is 10th.

“You’d think that one round or two rounds wouldn’t determine us being on the team. That would be kind of silly,” Bradley said. “It doesn’t hurt to play well. Put it that way.”

Bubba Watson, the top-ranked player in the field at No. 3 in the world, had a 68. Only two rounds of 65 or better came during the afternoon when the wind picked up and the greens became more firm.

“I wish I could guess the wind differently, but otherwise it was a good day,” Watson said.

Canada’s David Hearn also carded an opening-round 68.

Stephen Ames was a shot back after a 69 and Brad Fritsch opened with a 70. Rounding out the Canadians was Mike Weir, who carded a 72.