PGA Tour

Scott beats Duffner on 3rd playoff hole at Colonial

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Adam Scott (Jeff Zelevansky / Getty Images)

FORT WORTH, Texas – Adam Scott made a 7-foot birdie putt on the third hole of a playoff Sunday to end his first week as the world’s No. 1 player with a victory at Colonial.

Jason Dufner, who made a 25-foot birdie putt on No. 18 in regulation, slid a 40-footer past when he and Scott played the 18th hole for the second time during the playoff. Scott then made the 7-footer for his 11th PGA Tour victory.

The major champions parred No. 18 to start the playoff, then matched birdies at the 17th hole. Dufner, who won the PGA Championship last year, hit his approach pin high on 17 to 4 1/2 feet, but 2013 Masters champ Scott drained a 14-foot birdie before Dufner putted.

Dufner and Scott both shot 4-under 66 to finish at 9 under, the highest winning score at Colonial since 1999.

Scott replaced the injured Tiger Woods at the top of the ranking last Monday and will stay No. 1. Scott had to be in the top 13 at Colonial after Henrik Stenson finished in a five-way tie for seventh place in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

The win at Hogan’s Alley, which comes with $1,152,000 and a plaid jacket, made Scott the first player to win all four PGA Tour events in Texas. He is the 15th to win both the Byron Nelson Championship (2008) and the Colonial in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

The 11th playoff in Colonial history was the first since 2009, and the longest since Jim Colbert beat Fuzzy Zoeller on the sixth extra hole in 1983.

Nicholas Thompson and Freddie Jacobson tied for third at 8 under. Thompson shot 66, a stroke better than Jacobson.

David Toms, in the final group, led at 9 under when he made his turn. But he had three bogeys over the next five holes and finished with a 70.

Toms ended up at 7 under with Brendon Todd (68), who last week got his first PGA Tour victory at the Nelson.

Jimmy Walker, No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings, shot a 70 and was among four players tied for 10th at 6 under.

About 30 minutes after Dufner made his long birdie at No. 18 to get to 9 under, Scott made a closing par when his 31-foot birdie chance – which would have wrapped up the victory – slid just past the hole. It was just less than an hour later when the two went back to No. 18 to start the playoff.

At the same time Scott was finishing, Toms was coming off a bogey at the par-3 13th that dropped him two strokes back.

Scott and Dufner started the final round part of a seven-way tie for 11th place, only two strokes behind a quartet of leaders that included Toms.

They were among 33 players within four strokes of the leaders when the day began.

Scott was 8 under after making a 6-footer at the 406-yard No. 6 hole, his fourth birdie in the round and already with a bogey at the par-4 third when he three-putted from 24 feet.

His only other three-putt at Colonial came from 17 feet at the ninth hole, dropping him to 6 under and three strokes behind Dufner.

But Dufner gave up a stroke when he missed a par putt from less than 3 feet at the straight 615-yard 11th hole. When his 12-foot birdie chance at the 440-yard 12th hole slid a half-foot past the cup, Dufner stood momentarily and stared at the ball before tapping in his par.

Scott caught up with consecutive birdies on those same holes, pitching to 9 feet at No. 11 before his approach at No. 12 to 4 feet.

Dufner had another near miss at No. 15, where another lengthy birdie chance slid inches by the hole.

When Scott made a 39-birdie putt at the 453-yard 14th hole, he was 9 under – then tied with Toms and one ahead of Dufner.

Graham DeLaet shoot a 68 to end the tournament in a tie for 14th, while David Hearn shoot a 66 to finish tied for 21st.

DP World Tour

Rory McIlroy wins BMW PGA Championship

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Rory McIlroy (David Cannon/ Getty Images)

VIRGINIA WATER, England – Rory McIlroy put aside the anguish in his private life to win the European Tour’s flagship BMW PGA Championship on Sunday.

The double major winner came from seven shots back at the start of the final round to shoot a 6-under 66 and win by 1 stroke with an overall 14-under 274 on the Wentworth course.

It was McIlroy’s first European Tour success since December 2012 and ends a run of eight second-place finishes in 11 events this season.

Shane Lowry of Ireland came second with a round of 68 for a 13-under 275. Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn (75) shared third place on 12 under with England’s two-time BMW PGA winner Luke Donald (70).

McIlroy’s 12th victory worldwide comes four days after the 25-year old Northern Irishman confirmed the breakdown in his relationship with Danish tennis star Caroline Wozniacki.

McIlroy had been close to tears on Wednesday when talking to the media. He was still subdued Sunday despite his victory though he hugged his father Gerry and long-time coach Michael Bannon.

“I guess when I got inside the ropes this week, it was a little bit of a release, and I was on my own and doing what I do best, which is playing golf, and that sort of gave me four or five hours of serenity or sanctuary or whatever you want to call it,” McIlroy said.

“I was just focusing on the job at hand which was to play golf and get the ball in the hole in the lowest number of shots possible … It’s obviously been a week of very mixed emotions, but I’m sitting here looking at this trophy going, `How the hell, how did it happen this week?’ But it did.”

It was McIlroy’s first success since coming from behind to win December’s Australian Open in Sydney. He heads into next month’s U.S. Open as a strong contender to win the event for a second time in four years.

“The win at the end of last year in Australia sort of stopped all the questions about equipment and about struggling and slump and all this stuff,” McIlroy said.

“But to win here, against a great field, one of the best fields of the year, especially in Europe sort of cements that, and shows where my game is and I’m on the right track again. Hopefully, it won’t be long before I’m contending in majors and having a chance to win those again.”

Lowry went into the last day some five shots behind third round leader Bjorn but found himself in front when Bjorn took a triple bogey 7 at the par four No. 6.

After three birdies in a row from the 10th, Lowry had his own troubles in taking a double bogey at the par four 13th. However, the former Irish Open and Portugal Masters winner regrouped to birdie the 14th and, while he dropped a shot at the next, the 26-year-old Lowry holed a 30-foot birdie at the last to secure second place on his own.

“I’m happy but I know I am going to be sitting in my hotel room tonight and the 13th hole is going to be going through my head,” Lowry said.

The 43-year-old Bjorn went into the last day with history on his side as no player had lost at this European Tour event after leading by five shots.

By the ninth hole Bjorn had forfeited his advantage – taking a bogey at No. 5, triple bogey at the sixth where he failed to get out of a greenside bunker in regulation, and dropping a further shot at the ninth.

The Dane birdied the 12th but was in trouble again with bogeys at Nos. 14 and 15 before birdies at the next two holes in an eventual round of 75.

“It’s a disappointment when you come off the golf course like this,” Bjorn said. “I just didn’t get it right today and I made that massive judgment error on six and that kind of let everybody back into the frame.”

PGA Tour

Matsuyama, Toms, Campbell, Stroud lead at Colonial

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Hideki Matsuyama (Tom Pennington/ Getty mages)

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) —

 David Toms, Hideki Matsuyama, Chad Campbell and Chris Stroud shared the third-round lead at 7-under 203 on Saturday at Colonial, where plenty of others also are in contention.

There were 13 players within two strokes of the leading quartet.

The closest chasers included Adam Scott, the No. 1 player in the world, and Jimmy Walker, a three-time winner this season and No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings.

Kevin Chappell, whose early 7-under 63 was the low round of the day, moved from a tie for 60th to within one stroke of the lead.

Matsuyama, the 22-year-old from Japan with five wins at home, shot a bogey-free 64 Saturday. Toms, who got the last of his 13 PGA Tour victories at Colonial in 2011, had a 65, local resident Campbell shot 68, and Stroud had a 69.

Walker was 6 under after a 69, and Scott was another stroke back after a 66.

Walker and Campbell were playing together, and were tied for the lead at 8 under before both bogeyed the 161-yard 13th hole.

When Walker missed a 9-footer, it was his first bogey this week at Hogan’s Alley – and he had another two holes later when hitting from two greenside bunkers. Campbell held the lead alone only for a moment before missing his 4-foot par chance at No. 13.

They were on the 18th hole when play was suspended 1 hour, 8 minutes because of an approaching thunderstorm that brought only a brief downpour.

Walker saved par on the final hole after his drive settled near the edge of the water and he hit with an awkward stance into a greenside bunker. He blasted to 8 feet and made the putt.

Scott, who overtook injured Tiger Woods at No. 1 this week, started the round tied for 36th in the same group with Matsuyama. Chappell had to make a 6-foot par putt on his last hole Friday just to make the cut at 1 over, but quickly made up ground in his early-morning third round.

Second-round leader Brice Garnett fell back with a bogey at the 216-yard fourth hole, followed by a double bogey when he drove out of bounds at the tight fifth hole that runs parallel to the Trinity River. The PGA Tour rookie shot 74 and dropped into a tie for 25th at 3 under.

Matsuyama had three early birdies, including at Nos. 4 and 5 – the last two of a trio of holes known as the “Horrible Horseshoe” because of the layout of difficulty of the holes. There are two difficult par 4s with the course’s longest par 3 between them.

“Kind of set the tone for the rest of the round,” Matsuyama said through an interpreter.

To stay No. 1 for more than a week, Scott likely has to finish higher at Colonial than third-ranked Henrik Stenson does at Wentworth. Stenson was tied for seventh going into Sunday’s final round in Europe’s flagship event, though he was nine strokes off the lead. Scott was tied for 11th at Colonial, but only two back.

Since four bogeys in his first nine holes this week, Scott has had only one bogey his last 45 holes. He was bogey-free Saturday with his only four birdies his first eight holes. At the lone par 5 on the back nine, Scott hit his approach in a greenside bunker at No. 11 before blasting to about 6 feet, only to miss the birdie chance.

Graham DeLaet carded 68 to tie for 25th at the close of round 3 and David Hearn shot 74 tand will begin the final round tied for 56th.

Amateur

Saunders and Costabile take second round lead in CN Future Links Ontario Championship

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Tyler Saunders (Golf Canada/ Chuck Russell)

Minett, Ont. – The second round of the 2014 CN Future Links Ontario Championship continued today at The Rock Golf Club in Minett, Ont.

Tyler Saunders of Sturgeon County, Alta. continued his strong play, breaking yesterday’s tie with Sun Kim to land first with 2-under-par 69 – a total score of 4-under-par 138. Kim, 16, of L’Ile-Perrot, Que. holds second in the Junior Boys division, scoring 2-over-par 73 today for a total of 142, and Bryce Evon, 18, of Windsor, Ont. sits in third with a 3-over-par 74, a total of 145. Osama Khan of Mississauga and Charles Corner of Cayuga, Ont. share fifth.

Selena Costabile of Thornhil, Ont. continued to hold onto the first place spot in the Junior Girls division, scoring 3-over-par 74 today to sit at an overall score of even par-142. Team Canada Development Squad Member Naomi Ko of Victoria, B.C. follows in second by one stroke, scoring 2-over-par 73 for a total score of 143. Third place’s Grace St-Germain, 15, of Ottawa fired the shot of the day with her career’s first hole-in-one on the par-3 second hole at The Rock, making for a second round score of even-par 71.

16-year old Danielle Sawyer of Grafton, Ont, sits in fourth, followed by Monet Chun of Richmond Hill, Ont. and Team Canada Development Squad Member Valérie Tanguay in shared fifth.

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, which will be contested July 28 – August 1 at the Legends on the Niagara 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. In addition, the Junior Girls champion will receive an exemption into a 2015 Canadian Women’s Tour event.

The third and final round of the CN Future Links Ontario Championship takes place tomorrow at 7:20 a.m. EST. For complete scoring and information, click here.

 

Champions Tour

Colin Montgomerie leads Senior PGA Championship

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Tom Watson (Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. –

Colin Montgomerie said he looked forward to the fun when he joined the Champions Tour.

He was clearly enjoying himself Saturday in the Senior PGA Championship when he made a winding, 30-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 3-under 68 and a one-stroke lead.

“Bloody great,” he said about the birdie putt that took the sting out of a bogey at the 17th hole.

“It was going a bit quick. Thank God the hole got in the way. It was downhill, down grain, but it held its line and went in. It was a joyous occasion in the Montgomerie camp.”

Trying to win his first senior major after failing to capture one of golf’s four biggest events on the regular tours, the 51-year-old Scot took a 7-under 206 total into the final round at Harbor Shores.

Bernhard Langer, the 56-year-old German star who has won twice this season on the Champions Tour, was a stroke back after a 69 that included a double bogey from a buried lie in a huge sand bunker on the seventh. He will play alongside Montgomerie for the fourth consecutive round Sunday.

Marco Dawson, Bart Bryant and Kiyoshi Murota were tied for third at 5 under. Dawson had a 64, the best round of the tournament. Bryant and Murota shot 70.

Montgomerie, who said he has nothing to prove to anybody or himself in golf, is trying to win an official event for the first time on U.S. soil. He does have victories in the country in the 1998 Andersen Consulting World Championship and 2000 Skins Game.

“So I came here to enjoy one’s self,” he said. “I would like to win wherever that might be. It would be great to try and win in America. I always felt to win in America is a very difficult thing to do, on an away patch, on golf courses that are usually suited to the American style of play.”

Langer, a two-time Masters champion, has 20 victories on the 50-and-over – including majors at the 2010 U.S. Senior Open and Senior British Open. He’s looking forward to playing with Montgomerie again, and has a plan.

“I still need to play very aggressive, smart aggressive as I call it, and take my chances because Colin is playing very solid golf and there’s a whole bunch of other guys,” he said. “If any of them post a 6 or 7 under in front of us, then we have our work cut out to just stay in touch.”

Tom Watson, among the six-way tie for first through 36 holes, had a 72 to drop four shots behind.

Dawson made the biggest move of the day with nine birdies. He said the bounces went his way on the tricky Jack Nicklaus-designed greens.

“You’re going to get some luck and you’re going to get some bad luck,” he said. “You just have to be patient on the greens.”

John Cook, who last week in the Regions Tradition lost the lead on a double-hit confirmed later by video, birdied three of the final four holes for a 68 to join Watson, Jay Haas (70), David Frost (69) and Gary Hallberg (70) at 3 under.

Cook said another good round will be needed to make up ground on Montgomerie and Langer.

“Those guys have won a lot of tournaments, so it’s not like somebody’s up there that shouldn’t be there,” he said. “You’ve got to keep them in sight and kind of pick your spots.”

Kenny Perry, who won the Regions Tradition for his third Champions Tour major title in less than a year, was five strokes back at 2 under after a 66. Two years ago at Harbor Shores in the 2012 Senior PGA, he set a championship and course record with a final-round 62.

“I think what I’m going to need to do is shoot another 62,” Perry said. “At least I’ve got a shot. At least I shot a number today to put me in some kind of position. If I shoot one of those miracle rounds tomorrow, I can do it.”

Stephen Ames carded a 72 in the 3rd round to place him in a tie for 11th.

 

LPGA Tour

Anna Nordqvist leads Airbus LPGA Classic

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Catriona Matthew (Kevin C. Cox/ Getty Images)

MOBILE, Ala. –

Anna Nordqvist moved into position for her third victory of the year, shooting her second straight 6-under 66 to take the third-round lead Saturday in the Airbus LPGA Classic.

The 26-year-old Swede, the winner in Thailand and Carlsbad, had a 16-under 200 total on The Crossings course at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail’s Magnolia Grove complex.

“All I can do is put myself in a position to have a chance tomorrow and I felt like I’ve done that,” Nordqvist said. “Last year, I was in the final group and I was playing well and there was a lot of people coming from behind, so I know this golf course, you can never relax. You always have to keep pushing forward and trying to make birdies because if you don’t, someone else will.”

Nordqvist played the front nine in 5-under 31, birdieing Nos. 2-5 and 9, and added a birdie on the par-5 16th. She has only one bogey – on her fourth hole Friday – in 54 holes.

“I felt very confident and very comfortable,” Nordqvist said. “Got off to a really good start and just tried to keep the momentum. Had a pretty good finish the last three holes, so I’m very happy with the day.”

She set the course record last year, shooting a third-round 61 en route to a fourth-place tie.

“I definitely know I can score on this course,” Nordqvist said.

Catriona Matthew, the 44-year-old Scot who led after each of the first two days, was a stroke back after a 70. She bogeyed three of the first five holes to drop to 10 under, then birdied five of the last 15 – including three of the last four.

“I obviously got off to a terrible start with the three bogeys when everyone else is making birdies,” Matthew said. “Just knew there was a lot of chances there on the back nine if I could just hang in and try to start hitting greens again and give myself chances. Made four birdies on the back nine, so not the greatest round, but didn’t play myself out of it.”

She won the last of her four LPGA Tour titles in 2011.

“I think you come into every tournament wanting to win it, so that was my goal, to come here and win,” Matthew said. “I’ve been playing well all year, just not holing any putts. So if I can get my putter going, things can go well.”

Second-ranked Stacy Lewis, the 2012 champion who needs to finish solo third or higher to take the top spot in the world from Inbee Park, was third after a 66. Park missed the cut Friday.

“It was a pretty solid day,” Lewis said. “Definitely could have been a lot better, so I like that going into tomorrow that I didn’t play the best round today. I left quite a few out there, but still made a lot of birdies and got the ball in the hole.”

She won the North Texas LPGA Shootout three weeks ago for her ninth tour title.

Michelle Wie, Jessica Korda and 18-year-old Charley Hull were tied for fourth at 13 under. Wie shot 66, Korda 69, and Hull 71.

Wie had a bogey-free round.

“I felt like there’s a lot of low scores out there, so I was just trying to keep up with everyone else, making birdies,” Wie said. “Hopefully, I can have another low one tomorrow.”

DP World Tour

Bjorn takes 5-shot lead at BMW PGA

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Thomas Bjorn (Getty Images)

VIRGINIA WATER, England – Thomas Bjorn birdied seven of his last eight holes Saturday to grab a five-shot lead after the third round of the BMW PGA Championship.

The 43-year old Dane fought back from a double bogey on the first hole by making six straight birdies from the 11th and then adding another one at the last for a 5-under 67. His 15-under total of 201 put him five shots clear of Luke Donald at the European Tour’s flagship event at Wentworth.

Donald, a two-time former BMW PGA winner, birdied his closing two holes for a 68. Ireland’s Shane Lowry shared the overnight lead with Bjorn but shot a 73 to sit another shot back in third.

Rory McIlroy was in a tie for fourth after a 69, seven shots behind Bjorn.

Bjorn is competing in the event for the 17th time, but publicly disagreed with changes to the famed Surrey course in 2010 and skipped the event the following year. He returned in in 2012 to finish 37th and then further down the board in 40th place last year.

“I’m starting to warm to this place,” Bjorn said. “But after the double at the first it was just a question of trying to hang in and trying to get the best out of it and just see if you can roll in a few putts here and there. That happened, and probably a bit in excess on the back nine.”

A win would earn Bjorn one of the biggest prize checks of his career $1.059 million, and would also cement his place in September’s European Ryder Cup team and a first appearance in 12 years since being a member of the victorious 2002 team.

The start of play was delayed by three hours because of a rain-soaked course that saw a lot of players struggle early.

McIlroy also had a double bogey on the first hole, before recovering with five birdies the rest of the way. And the double major winner hasn’t given up hope of catching Bjorn.

“I’ve had big leads and let them slip, and come from behind and won, so there’s a lot of ways to win,” McIlroy said. “There is still 18 holes of golf to go, but I’m going to need something very special.”

LPGA Tour

Catriona Matthew leads Airbus LPGA Classic

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Catriona Matthew (Kevin C. Cox/ Getty Images)

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) —

 Catriona Matthew remained atop the Airbus LPGA Classic leaderboard Friday, birdieing four of the last seven holes to take a one-stroke advantage over Charley Hull into the weekend.

The 44-year-old Matthew had a 5-under 67 to reach 13-under 131 on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail’s Crossings Course. The 18-year-old Hull also shot 67.

Matthew had six birdies and a bogey – on the par-4 ninth – in her afternoon round.

“I played actually probably pretty well today,” said Matthew, who opened with a 64 on Thursday. “I hit 17 greens, so I gave myself a lot of chances. I didn’t hole many on the front nine, but then the putter got going a little bit on the back nine.”

The Scot won the last of her four LPGA Tour titles in 2011.

“Obviously, there’s still 36 holes to go,” Matthew said. “If it’s anything like the first two days, we’re going to have to keep making birdies.”

Hull also dropped a stroke on No. 9, her final hole of the day. The English player birdied Nos. 6-8 and had five birdies in a seven-hole stretch before closing with her lone bogey of the week.

“Hitting it pretty straight,” Hull said. “Hit my irons good and holing some good putts. Missing a few putts, but you’re always going to miss a few putts when you’re playing well. But I’m just excited about this golf course. I quite like it.”

Hull won a Ladies European Tour event in Morocco in March a week before her 18th birthday. She closed with a 9-under 62 and won on the first hole of a playoff.

The teen is comfortable in the warm conditions in Mobile.

“The weather’s been pretty hot, but I quite like it,” Hull said. “I think it’s a great place and it’s very green and a bit different than I expected. The trees are a lot different, but I enjoy it a lot.”

Anna Nordqvist, Jessica Korda and Hee Young Park were 10 under. Nordqvist, the winner in Thailand and Carlsbad, had a 66. Korda, the Bahamas champion, shot 67, and Park had a 66.

“I got the ball close and was able to kind of make a couple putts on my front nine, which was the back nine,” Korda said “Hopefully, I can keep that momentum going.”

Park, playing alongside Matthew, eagled the par-5 16th for the second straight day.

Kraft Nabisco winner Lexi Thompson and Jenny Shin were 9 under. Thompson had a 65, and Shin shot 68.

Second-ranked Stacy Lewis, No. 4 Suzann Pettersen and three-time Mobile winner Se Ri Park topped the group at 8 under.

Lewis, the 2012 champion who won the North Texas LPGA Shootout three weeks ago, matched Pettersen with a 70. Pak, the 2010 winner who also won the Tournament of Champions at the course in 2001 and 2002, had a 69.

Michelle Wie, the winner in Hawaii, was 7 under. She followed her opening 71 with a 66.

Top-ranked Inbee Park missed the cut with rounds of 74 and 76, ending her cuts streak at 22. She had 34 putts in the second round and played her final nine in 4-over 40.

The South Korean star is winless in nine tour starts this season after sweeping the first three majors last year and finishing the season with six victories. She last missed a cut last May in the Bahamas.

Jennifer Kirby, who was announced as a member of Team Canada’s developmental Young Pro Squad this month, carded 68 to end tied for 16th.

Champions Tour

Tom Watson has share of Senior PGA lead

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Tom Watson (Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. – Tom Watson shot a 3-under 68 on Friday for a share of the lead in the Senior PGA Championship with fellow Hall of Famer Bernhard Langer and Colin Montgomerie and three other players.

The 64-year-old Watson, playing alongside Langer and Montgomerie, had five birdies and a double bogey – on the par-4 12th – to reach 4-under 138 after two rounds at Harbor Shores.

Langer also had a 68, and Montgomerie shot 69 to join Watson, Bart Bryant, Steen Tinning and Kiyoshi Murota atop the leaderboard. Bryant shot 67, Tinning 66, and Murota 65.

Murota, from Japan, had the best round of the day, chipping in for eagles on the par-5 fifth and ninth.

Bryant bogeyed the 18th hole to drop into the tie for the lead.

Tinning, from Denmark, birdied No. 17 in his bogey-free round.

Steve Pate (67) was a stroke back along with Stephen Ames (68), Russ Cochran (69), Mark Brooks (71) and Dan Forsman (73). The group at 2 under included first-round leader Joe Durant (75), Jay Haas (71), Scott Simpson (69) and Duffy Waldorf (70).

Watson, Langer and Montgomerie created buzz early in the day with their names atop the leaderboard.

Watson had a 3-under 33 on the front nine, but double-bogeyed the 12th with a stubbed chip and three putts. Trying to win for the first time since the 2011 Senior PGA, he’s coming off a sixth-place tie last week in the Regions Tradition in Alabama.

Langer, a two-time winner this season and the leading money winner on the Champions Tour five of the last six years, birdied the first two holes.

Montgomerie, playing in his first Senior PGA and seeking his first Champions Tour victory, took advantage of a friendly forward tee position and made an eagle on the par-5 15th. He hit his 8-iron approach from 173 yards to 10 feet.

Amateur

Tyler Saunders and Sun Kim share opening round lead at CN Future Links Ontario Championship

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Tyler Saunders (Golf Canada/ Chuck Russell)

Minett, Ont. – The first round results are in and it’s evident that the 2014 CN Future Links Ontario competitors refused to let a rainy Muskoka, Ont., day interfere with their play.

Tyler Saunders, 18, of Sturgeon County, Alta., and Sun Kim, 16, of L’Ile-Perrot, Que., are tied for first in the Junior Boys division at 2-under-par 69. Saunders fired an six birdies today, demonstrating his commitment to improving on his third place finish at the CN Future Links Pacific Championship held earlier this month. Osama Khan, 18, of Mississauga, Ont. sits in third with a score of 1-under-par 70, followed closely by Bryce Evon, 18, of Windsor, Ont., in fourth after an even-par 71.

Team Canada Development Squad Member, and the 2012 CN Future Links Ontario Champion, Matt Williams, shares fifth place with Trevor Ranton of Waterloo, Ont. The pair carded an opening score of 1-over-par 72.

In the Junior Girls division, 15-year old Selena Costabile of Thornhill, Ont. continued the excitement, carding four birdies to lead after a 3-under-par 68 in the opening round. Costabile is followed closely by Team Canada Development Squad member Naomi Ko, 16, of Victoria B.C. who shot a 1-under-par 70. Danielle Sawyer, 16, of Grafton, Ont. sits in third with a score of 73.

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, which will be contested July 28 – August 1 at the Legends on the Niagara 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. In addition, the Junior Girls champion will receive an exemption into a 2015 Canadian Women’s Tour event.

The second round of the CN Future Links Ontario Championship takes place tomorrow at 7:20 a.m. EST. For complete scoring and information, click here.