LAKE WALES, Fla. – China’s Yueer Cindy Feng won the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic on Sunday for her first Symetra Tour title.

Feng closed with a 5-under 67 to finish at 9-under 207 at Lake Wales Country Club. She eagled the par-5 10th and had five birdies and two bogeys.

Making her third start on the tour, Feng earned $18,750 to jump from 10th to first on the money list with $22,484. The top 10 at the end of the season will earn LPGA Tour cards.

Megan McChrystal, Jackie Stoelting and Maude-Aimee LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que. – the second-round leader – tied for second, four strokes back at 211. McChrystal shot 67, Stoelting 71, and LeBlanc 72.

LeBlanc, a former Canadian Junior Girl’s champion and Team Canada member, had two birdies and two bogeys on the day.

The other Canadians were able to go substantially lower during the final round.

Sara-Maude Juneau of Fossambault, Que. (213) fired a 4-under 68 en route to her fifth place finish. Juneau, also a former Team Canada member, tallied six birdies and a pair of bogeys Sunday to finish at 213.

Kelowna, B.C.’s Samantha Richdale saved her best golf for the final round. She had the lowest score of all Canadians on the day – a 5-under-par 67. She tied for 14th at even par 216.

Brantford, Ont.’s Nicole Vandermade had a 4-under 68 Sunday. She credited her putter for the solid round.

Vandermade finished tied for 14th with Mississauga, Ont.’s Brogan McKinnon. The pair shot matching 4-under 68’s and were 2-over par for the tournament.

McKinnon, who is playing her first event as a professional, also thanked her play on the short grass after her round.

Both Vandermade and McKinnon are former members of Team Canada.

Canadian Scores:

T2. Maude-Aimee Leblanc – 67-72-72–211 (-5)
5.  Sara-Maude Juneau – 73-72-68–213 (-3)
T14. Samantha Richdale – 78-71–67-216 (E)
T24. Nicole Vandermade – 76-74-68–218 (+2)
T24. Brogan McKinnon – 73-77-68–218 (+2)

ORLANDO, Fla. – The World Golf Hall of Fame is changing the criteria, voting process and timing of player inductions.

No one has been elected this year while the criteria went through an overhaul. The next induction will be May 2015.

Officials have eliminated the PGA Tour and International ballots for men. Instead, the four categories will be for men, women, veterans and lifetime achievement. Active players must have 15 wins on major tours or two majors.

The biggest change is the voting. Instead of a panel of media, golf dignitaries and Hall of Fame member, a 16-person panel will do the voting. The majority of that panel is golf administrators, along with three golf writers and four Hall of Fame members. A 20-person panel will nominate potential inductees.

PHOENIX – Lydia Ko topped the crowded leaderboard in the JTBC Founders Cup, pulling ahead with two late birdies.

The 16-year-old New Zealander shot a 5-under 67 on Saturday to reach 16-under 200 at Desert Ridge. She tapped in for birdie on the par-5 15th after missing an 8-foot eagle putt and took the outright lead with a 10-footer on the par-3 17th.

Ko won the Canadian Women’s Open as an amateur the last two years and took the Swinging Skirts World Ladies Masters in December in Thailand in her second start as a professional. She has five victories in pro events, also winning in Australia and New Zealand.

Jessica Korda and Mirim Lee were a stroke back, and a dozen players were within four shots. Korda had a 66, and Lee shot 70.

Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont. carded a third round 70. She tied for 42nd spot at 6-under-par.

LAKE WALES, Florida – Maude-Aimee LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que. shot an even-par 72 in the second-round of the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic Saturday to remain at 5-under-par for the tournament and maintain a one-stroke lead. 

LeBlanc got off to a strong start with a birdie on the first hole.  She made four total birdies on the front nine to move to 8-under for the tournament at the turn.

The tides turned on the back nine quickly when she made bogey on the tenth hole.  After three straight pars, LeBlanc made double bogey on the par-4 14^th hole.

“It was not as good as yesterday, I didn’t make as many putts,” said LeBlanc.  “The greens were very tough to read again and I just made a couple bad swings on the back nine and it cost me a double bogey on 14.”

LeBlanc finished her round with four straight pars to stay at 5-under-par for the tournament.

“Even par is not that bad and I’m still in contention, so I can’t be too disappointed.”

LeBlanc, who led by two strokes after day one, will take a slim one stroke lead into Sunday.

“I’ll just try to focus on what I do best and keep a good tempo, today I struggled a bit with my tempo and my swing,” said LeBlanc, a former Team Canada member who won a National Championship with Purdue in 2010.  “Tomorrow, I need to just stay relaxed and smooth and just play as if I was playing back home.”

The recipe for her first tournament win in her first Symetra Tour event will be simple.

“If a can drop a couple putts, I’ll be in good shape.”

Jackie Stoelting, Karlin Beck and Yueer Cindy Feng are tied for second at 4-under-par for the tournament.

The cut was made at 6-over-par.  A total of 76 players made the cut and will play on Sunday.

Canadian Scores:

1. Maude-Aimee Leblanc – 67-72–139 (-5)
T22.  Sara-Maude Juneau – 73-72–145 (+1)
T51. Samantha Richdale – 78-71–149 (+5)
T62. Nicole Vandermade – 76-74–150 (+6)
T62. Brogan McKinnon – 73-77–150 (+6)
— MISSED CUT —
Christine Wong – 73-78–151 (+7)
Erica Rivard – 75-77-152 (+8)
Stephanie Sherlock – 75-77–152 (+8)
Jessica Wallace – 76-77–153 (+9)
Ashley Sholer – 82-71–153 (+9)
Angela Buzminski – 76-78–154 (+10)
Lisa Meldrum – 75-84–159 (+15)

SAUCIER, Miss. – Billy Andrade hasn’t played much competitive golf over the past four years. It was hard to tell on Saturday.

The 50-year-old Andrade had the low round of the day, firing a 7-under 65 to jump into a tie for the lead with Fred Funk after the second round of the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic at Fallen Oak.

Andrade made nine birdies on Saturday, including a stretch of six over seven holes midway through the round. The exclamation point came on the final hole, when he drained a 20-foot putt for birdie.

It’s the second time in less than a year that Andrade has been in contention to win a tournament in the Magnolia State. He finished fifth at the Sanderson Farms Classic in Madison, Miss., last summer, which was easily his best finish in three starts on the PGA Tour last year.

“I have no idea what it is about Mississippi,” Andrade said laughing. “But right now, I absolutely love it.”

Andrade is playing in just his fourth Champions Tour event. His best finish was eighth place at the ACE Group Classic in February.

Fred Couples started the day with a two-stroke lead, but fell into a tie for second place after shooting a 71. Jay Haas and Jeff Maggert both had 69 to join Couples one stroke behind the leaders.

Andrade has been mostly on the sidelines the past four years, working part time as an analyst for the Golf Channel. He’s started just eight tournaments on the PGA Tour since 2010 and said it’s been nice to play several events in a row on the Champions Tour since he turned 50 to regain some consistency.

“It was kind of a swirly, windy day,” Andrade said. “We didn’t know if the wind was helping us or hurting us on some holes. But I got off to a nice start with a birdie on the first hole and then got into a nice rhythm.”

Andrade and Funk are at 8-under 136 for the tournament. Funk shot a 67 on Saturday.

“I like coming here because it’s a pretty difficult golf course and I like hard golf courses,” Funk said. “When you’re playing well, you try to get a little separation, although we’re not too separated on the board right now.”

There are 11 players within three shots of the lead.

Couples had a good start on Saturday, going 2-under through his first six holes. But he had 11 pars and a bogey the rest of the way to finish at 71, which snapped his streak of 12 straight rounds on the Champions Tour in the 60s.

The streak was one shy of Hale Irwin’s record set in 1999.

“It was just a little sloppy,” Couples said. “I didn’t make a birdie on the back nine, so that’s a lot of holes without making a birdie.”

David Frost was disqualified Saturday after removing a stone in a bunker on Friday, which should have resulted in a two-stroke penalty. A Champions Tour official said Frost self-reported the violation after Saturday’s round.

Frost was tied for sixth place at 6-under before his disqualification.

Canada’s Rod Spittle (St. Catharines, Ont.) and Jim Rutledge (Victoria, B.C.) are tied for 26th at 1-under par.

Because of expected rain, the tee times have been moved earlier for Sunday’s final round. The leaders are scheduled to tee off at 10 a.m. CT.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Adam Scott still has the lead at Bay Hill. At least five other players suddenly have a realistic chance at winning.

Scott lost more than half his lead Saturday in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He missed three par putts inside 8 feet and had to settle for a 1-under 71. That gave him a three-shot lead over Keegan Bradley going into the final round.

Bradley’s approach to the 18th narrowly cleared the rocks and set up a 4-foot birdie putt for a 66.

Scott was at 15-under 201.

Matt Every (66) and Jason Kokrak (67) were four shots behind. Neither has ever won on the PGA Tour. Chesson Hadley and Francesco Molinari each shot 69 and were another shot behind. Hadley can qualify for the Masters with a high finish.

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont. carded a 1-over 73 on moving day, which saw his drop 13 spots into a tie for 42nd.

PHOENIX – Mirim Lee remained atop the JTBC Founders Cup leaderboard in her third LPGA Tour start.

The 23-year-old South Korean player shot a 5-under 67 on Friday to take a two-stroke advantage over 16-year-old Lydia Ko into the weekend at Desert Ridge’s Wildfire Golf Club.

A three-time winner on the Korean LPGA, Lee played the final eight holes in 5 under, making an eagle and three birdies to reach 13-under 131. She opened with a 64 on Thursday for a one-shot lead.

Ko, the Canadian Women’s Open winner as an amateur the last two years, shot 66. The first-year pro played a late six-hole stretch in 6 under with an eagle and four birdies.

Sun Young Yoo was third at 10 under after a 65.

Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont. was the lone Canadian to survive the 36-hole cut in Arizona. Kirby carded a second round 1-under 71 and sits in a tie for 38th at 4-under 140 heading into the weekend. Toronto’s Rebecca Lee-Bentham sat in a tie for 18th after the opening round but struggled on Friday carding a 5-over 77 to finish three strokes outside of the cut line alongside Sue Kim of Langely, B.C. at 1-over par.

LAKE WALES, Florida – In her first Symetra Tour event of the season, Canada’s Maude-Aimée LeBlanc fired a 5-under-par 67 Friday to take a two-stroke lead after the first-round of the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic.

LeBlanc’s round started as good as she could have asked with an eagle on the par-5 tenth hole.  She birdied the 13^th hole and made the turn at 3-under.

On the front nine, she birdied three of her first six holes.  After a bogey on the seventh hole, she concluded her round with a birdie on the par-5 ninth hole.

“I stroked the ball really well today,” said 25-year-old LeBlanc.  “It was a little windy, so that was tricky and some pins were tough to get close and I was struggling a little with the speed of the greens, but I stayed patient and made some good rolls and I played well.”

On her final hole, a par-5, LeBlanc took advantage of the downwind and had a 5-iron into the green.  She wound up in the green side bunker, but hit a great bunker shot to end her round with a birdie.

“I hit my bunker shot to about a foot and was able to make the putt so it was definitely a nice way to finish,” said LeBlanc with a wide smile.  “I’m definitely looking forward to coming back tomorrow.”

LeBlanc has a two-stroke lead over a pair of Americans – Ginger Howard and Kendall Dye – who both shot 3-under 69.

“It’s always nice to be in contention, that is what everybody is working to do,” said the Sherbrooke, Que. native.  “I’m going to stay with the same plan tomorrow and Sunday, I’ll be patient and I’m going to try to make some putts.”

LeBlanc played in the first two LPGA events of the season.  She missed the cut at the Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic and the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open.  The event in Australia, which was held from February 12-16, was the last time Leblanc played competitive golf.

“I worked on my swing and got some new clubs and that really made a big difference,” said LeBlanc.  “Just been playing well for the last couple of weeks and I’m glad it showed here today.”

Canadian Scores:

1. Maude-Aimee Leblanc – 67 (-5)
T27.  Sara-Maude Juneau – 73 (+1)
T27. Brogan McKinnon – 73 (+1)
T27. Christine Wong – 73 (+1)
T61. Erica Rivard – 75 (+3)
T61. Stephanie Sherlock – 75 (+3)
T61.  Lisa Meldrum – 75 (+3)
T78. Angela Buzminski – 76 (+4)
T78. Nicole Vandermade – 76 (+4)
T78. Jessica Wallace – 76 (+4)
T107. Samantha Richdale – 78 (+6)
T141. Ashley Sholer – 82 (+10)

ORLANDO, Fla. – Adam Scott keeps putting his name in the Bay Hill record book, each round moving him closer to another handshake with The King.

One day after Scott opened with a record-tying 62 in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, he hit his stride around the turn Friday with five birdies in an eight-hole stretch to leave everyone else far behind. Even with a three-putt bogey on his final hole, Scott still had a 4-under 68 for a seven-shot lead.

He was at 14-under 130, matching the 36-hole record at Bay Hill first set by Tom Watson and Andy Bean in 1981. And his seven-shot margin at the halfway point shattered the previous record held by Tiger Woods in 2002 and Paul Azinger in 1988.

Scott sounds like he’s not the least bit satisfied.

“The challenge might be just to start again and try and play a great 36 holes,” he said. “Start fresh and try to be the leader after the next 36.”

That would merit a visit with Arnold Palmer, the tournament host known simply as “The King” in golf circles. Scott has spoken glowingly all week about his first invitation to Bay Hill when he was 20. Walking off the first green, Palmer was in a cart to greet him with a handshake, and Scott was amazed that Palmer knew his name.

Now he’s the Masters champion, and the 33-year-old Australian is playing like one.

J.B. Holmes (69), Chesson Hadley (68) and Francesco Molinari of Italy (70) were tied for second at 7-under. Keegan Bradley had the low score of the blustery second round with a 67, putting him in a group at 138 that included Brandt Snedeker (71) and Jamie Donaldson of Wales (71).

“I think I’m 10 behind and playing pretty well for two rounds,” said Snedeker, who was off by two. “He’s playing pretty phenomenal. He’s going to be a tough guy to catch. A guy that hits it as good as he does and seems to have a complete game like he has, and the way he’s playing now, he’s not going to come backward. Seems like an awfully special week if you can get close to him.”

Scott played in the afternoon, when the course began to get firm under two days of full sunshine, and the pace on the greens began to quicken. No one ever got closer than his three-shot lead to start the round, though there were two pivotal moments.

He holed a 15-foot par putt on the first hole to calm his nerves, and he hit a gorgeous shot out of the rough from 167 yards and made a 12-foot birdie on the ninth. He went to the back nine 1-under par for his round, and he took off from there.

Scott hit a 7-iron to 4 feet on No. 11, got up-and-down for birdie on the par-3 12th, nearly holed a tough chip from behind the 14th green to save par, and then made consecutive birdies with a 30-foot putt on the 15th and a 7-iron to pin-high for a two-putt birdie on the par-5 16th.

He only made it look easy.

There were three rounds in the 80s, including by U.S. Amateur champion Matthew Fitzpatrick. U.S. Open champion Justin Rose, playing in the same group with Scott, had a 79 and missed the cut for the first time in a regular PGA Tour event since The Players Championship last May.

“This course will really start to bare its teeth,” Scott said. “I’ve got to take in the attitude of starting over again and trying to play a really hard 36 holes. And hopefully, if I can I can keep striking the ball like I am, I’ll give myself enough chances for birdie – and hopefully, more birdies than bogeys.”

At one point, caddie Steve Williams was some 275 yards down the left side of the fairway on the par-5 16th. His boss was barely visible back on the tee, but Williams watched his swing and instantly said, “Perfect.” And that it was, 325 yards right down the middle.

Scott missed only two fairways and has taken just 52 putts over the first 36 holes.

He was in no mood to celebrate just yet. For one thing, he is still recovering from being sick. His energy was better Friday, though he could barely talk above a whisper during a brief interview with Golf Channel before his round. And the Australian knows how a big lead can get away, even on the final day. He had a four-shot lead with four holes remaining in the 2012 British Open when it all went wrong – four straight bogeys – and Ernie Els walked off with the claret jug.

That’s a distant memory for Scott, who takes that green jacket from Augusta National with him just about everywhere he goes.

“Seven shots over two days is not enough,” Scott said. “I don’t think you can ever be enough in the lead, to be honest.”

DIVOTS: David Hearn of Brantford, Ont. is the only Canadian in the field. He carded an even-par 72 and is tied for 29th at 2-under 142. … Ryo Ishikawa had a 74 and was among those in the group at 5-under. The Japanese star has been working hard on his English. He used the words, “sucker pin,” in an interview, and then chatted comfortably with Jimmy Roberts of NBC Sports for about five minutes. … Southern Amateur champion Zachary Olsen made the cut. … Sam Saunders, the grandson of Arnold Palmer, had a 71 and was in a tie for 16th. … Paul Casey made a 7-foot bogey putt on his last hole for a 79 to make the cut on the number at 2-over 146.

SAUCIER, Miss. – Fred Couples has already been playing some terrific golf. Now he is at one of his favorite courses on the Champions Tour.

So it wasn’t much of a surprise that Couples bolted to the front of the pack on Friday at the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic at Fallen Oak. The 54-year-old Couples shot a 6-under 66 to take a two-shot lead in nearly ideal conditions.

Couples has been on a recent roll, winning the Toshiba Classic last weekend in Newport Beach, Calif., but said his steady first round was more about his comfort at Fallen Oak.

“I think it’s a continuation of liking this course,” Couples said. “That’s why I’m here. I like Fallen Oak and hope to play it for a long time.”

Couples started the day on No. 10 and made five birdies over his first eight holes. It was his 12th straight round in the 60s on the Champions Tour, dating to last season, which is one shy of the record set by Hale Irwin in 1999.

“I played really well,” Couples said. “I feel like I putt well on these greens, and I made some today, obviously, to shoot that score.”

Couples has won 10 times on the Champions Tour since his debut in 2010.

The conditions were good for low scoring on Friday, with a light breeze but plenty of sunshine and forgiving greens.

Last year’s tournament champion Michael Allen was paired with Couples and shot a 68 to join a group of five in second place. Jeff Maggert, who was making his Champions Tour debut, is also in second place, along with Kenny Perry, David Frost and Jay Haas.

Maggert hasn’t won since 2006 on the PGA Tour at the St. Jude’s Classic, but is right in the hunt after one round at Fallen Oak. He said it was important to play well on Friday, since there is a rain forecast for the weekend.

“Obviously a good start,” Maggert said. “Really just played steady all day. I think I hit all the fairways except for one – hit most of the greens. A couple 3-putts out there I was not too happy about but I just played steady golf, took advantage of the par 5s and put together a good round.”

But it’s Couples who is undeniably the man to beat. He made four straight birdies on 12 through 15 and stayed out of trouble for most of the day, navigating the 7,054-yard course with seven birdies and one bogey.

“The first year I played here, I won, so that’s a pretty good start of why I like (the course),” Couples said with a grin. “Today was no exception.”

Allen, who won the Allianz Championship last month, is among those trying to keep pace. The 55-year-old Allen edged Bernhard Langer by one stroke last year at Fallen Oak for one of his two wins on the Champions Tour last season.

“Fred is playing awfully well,” Allen said. “He’s not making any mistakes. I have to eliminate some of my mistakes for sure, and hopefully I can keep making a few putts and get a little closer.”

Rod Spittle opened with an even-par 72. The St. Catharines, Ont. native, who has one Champions Tour victory (2010), is tied for 29th.

Jim Rutledge of Victoria, B.C. shot a 2-over 74 and is tied for 51st.