Calgary – On a day where low scoring was the norm, England’s Charlie Bull shot a 7-under 65 at Country Hills Golf Club to take a two-stroke lead after 54 holes of the ATB Financial Classic, the eighth event of the 2016 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

Beginning the day two strokes behind co-leaders Austin Connelly and Carlos Sainz Jr., Bull eagled the par-5 second to close the gap before driving the green on the par-4 fifth hole to tap-in range for his second eagle of the day. Adding a birdie on the par-5 seventh hole, Bull made the turn with a one-stroke lead and never let it go.

“On the 330-yard par-4 [fifth] I hit it to two feet and that’s just pure luck,” said Bull, who is looking for his first career Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada win. “I hit a nice shot but it was still pure luck to get it that close and make eagle there so there were no complaints on the round. I got lucky where I did and took advantage of my opportunities which was nice.”

Bull, 24, finished off his third-round 65 with a lengthy downhill birdie on the 18^th to cap off his career-low round on the Mackenzie Tour in 19 events. With four other 65s on Moving Day in Calgary, Bull knows he is going to need another low round on the gettable Country Hills GC layout in order to secure his first title on Sunday.

“It’s going to take another low one tomorrow to get it done,” Bull said. “There are a lot of guys going low and I know I need to shoot a good round, but it was nice to be able to hold onto the lead today and keep myself in good position.

“Every single putt matters so there is no taking it easy on a putt. On 18 I had a downhiller but I knew I couldn’t leave it short so I gave it a run and got rewarded for it so you have to stay confident and aggressive in your game plan out here, otherwise you will get lapped all day long.”

Bull will take a two-shot lead to Sunday over a group of four players at 14-under and nine others that are within five shots, a position he has yet to experience in his career.

“I’ve never been in this position but it feels really nice to know that I’m playing well and hitting good shots,” Bull said. “It is relaxing knowing that I have to go deep. A lot of the time it’s difficult when you are trying to nurse a lead by making pars. Out here you are just trying to make birdies – there’s no other way around it because that is what it will take to get it done.”

Tyler McCumber, Conrad Shindler, 36-hole co-leader Connelly and Monday qualifier Scott Wolfes are tied for second at 14-under. Bull will be joined by Wolfes and Shindler in the final group on Sunday. All three shot 65 on Saturday.

Connelly birdied the 17^th hole on Saturday to shoot a 3-under 69 and remain in the hunt for his first professional title with 18 holes remaining.

Connelly is playing his first full season on the Mackenzie Tour and has two top-10 finishes through seven events, including a solo third three weeks ago at the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel – his best finish to date as a professional.

If Connelly were to win on Sunday, he would become the youngest player to win on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada in the PGA TOUR era (2013-present), supplanting last week’s winner Aaron Wise.

He is playing in the PGA TOUR’s John Deere Classic next week on a sponsor’s exemption and already has five PGA TOUR appearances to his credit, making the cut on three occasions.

Connelly is also a former member of Golf Canada’s National Amateur team, having been selected as an 18-year-old for the 2015 squad.

Calgary – Austin Connelly and Carlos Sainz Jr., are tied atop the leader board at 11-under 133 through 36 holes of the ATB Financial Classic, the eighth event of the 2016 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

Playing in the first group on the golf course this morning, Connelly continued to play conservative and converted birdies on both par 5s on the front nine before adding two more on Nos. 13 and 14. Sudden windy conditions led to his only bogey at the par-3 16^th, but Connelly quickly rebounded with a timely birdie at the par-4 18^th to ascend to 11-under for the tournament.

“I came in with the same mindset that I had going into yesterday which was to give myself as many good looks as possible – try to keep it on the proper sides of the hole,” Connelly said. “Out here it’s really important to keep it below the hole because you can find yourself in some extremely difficult situations on these greens if you don’t do that.”

At 19 years, 10 months and 18 days, Connelly is the youngest player in the field. With this being his first full season on Tour, the young Canadian is quickly learning what it takes to manage being in contention.

“It takes a lot of playing out here and being in the situation — it’s definitely an adjustment,” Connelly said. “This is the fourth event out here where I’ve been at or near the lead at least through the middle of the second round so I’m starting to get a lot more comfortable around the lead, whereas three or four events ago I was a little less comfortable.”

On the opposite side of the draw, Sainz was greeted with blustery conditions for his afternoon tee time, but was not fazed by the challenge en route to a bogey-free 5-under 67.

“My game plan was to hit it lower in this wind,” Sainz said. “I wanted to take advantage with how well I’m playing, and this course is still doable in the wind because the fairways aren’t too tight, and I was fortunate to make some putts along the way.”

After only one birdie on the front nine, the former Mississippi State Bulldog poured in four birdies on the back, including three on the last four holes, to vault up the leader board and join Connelly in Saturday’s final pairing.

“Realistically if you shoot a couple under in the wind or even par you are not losing a lot of ground, so to shoot 5-under is obviously a bonus,” said Sainz, a former winner on the Mackenzie Tour. “Now that I’m at the top of the leader board it’s a little different scenario so I’m looking forward to the weekend.”

Tyler McCumber and Paul Barjon are tied for third at 10-under, one stroke back. Barjon birdied his final three holes to shoot a 7-under 65 and tie the low round of the tournament. McCumber eagled the par-5 13^th to turn in a 4-under 68.

Austin Connelly, Dillon Rust and Joe Parkinson shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday in ideal scoring conditions at Country Hills Golf Club to share the first-round lead at the ATB Financial Classic, the seventh event of the 2016 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

Connelly began the day with birdies on three of his first four holes, then hit a cold stretch through the middle of his round, which included his only bogey at the par-5 second hole, his 11^th. But over the last six holes, the 19-year-old Canadian rattled off three birdies and an eagle to catch the leaders and post 7-under.

“After the bogey on No. 2 I was 2-under and looked at the leader board and saw that some guys were going pretty low,” said Connelly, who recently logged his best professional finish with a solo third at the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel three weeks ago. “I knew the front nine out here is easier than the back so I knew I would have some opportunities coming in.”

Like Connelly, Rust made a late charge at the lead. At 4-under through 16 holes on Thursday, the native Texan did not seem to be a threat to the lead until a hole-out from 120 yards for eagle on the par-4 17^th and a birdie on the 18^th vaulted him to the top of the leaderboard.

“The finish was pretty awesome,” Rust said. “I was 4-under through 16 and on a day like today that score is not really getting after it that much. I hit a perfect 54-degree wedge on 17 and it went right in the hole. Made a couple really nice swings on 18 and made a five footer. I finished with basically four perfect swings.”

After two early bogeys in his round, Parkinson used two eagles on the par-5 seventh and 13^th to regain his momentum. He then birdied the last from 200 yards to put an exclamation mark on his low round of the season, crediting a more aggressive strategy.

“I’ve been struggling a little bit, so for this event I wanted to come out and be a little more aggressive,” said Parkinson, who has yet to finish inside the top 25 through the first six events. “I was very aggressive in college and I felt like since I’ve been out here I have been really conservative trying to play smart golf and I think today I played more aggressive and it paid off.”

Eight players are tied for fourth at 6-under par: Brock Mackenzie, Will Starke, Carlos Sainz Jr., John Chin, Charlie Bull, Sean Kelly, Tyler McCumber and Ted Smith.

EDMONTON – Former University of Oregon player Aaron Wise won the Syncrude Oil Country Championship on Sunday for his first Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada victory.

The NCAA individual champion in May, Wise closed with a 2-under 70 at Glendale Golf and Country Club for a one-stroke victory over Brock Mackenzie and Argentina’s Puma Dominguez.

“I battled all day long,” Wise said. “I got a couple of good breaks and a couple bad breaks. For it all to come in the way it did and for me to win, that was the goal and I’m very excited.”

Wise finished at 19-under 269 after opening with rounds of 67, 66 and 66.

Mackenzie shot a 71, and Dominguez had a 68.

Edmonton – California’s Aaron Wise and Washington’s Brock Mackenzie shot a pair of matching 6-under 66s on Saturday at Glendale Golf and Country Club to share the 54-hole lead at the Syncrude Oil Country Championship presented by AECON, the seventh event of the 2016 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

Wise, the 2016 NCAA Men’s Individual and Team Champion at the University of Oregon, rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18^th hole to reach 17-under and shoot 66 for the second straight day, a feat Mackenzie matched shortly after.

“I looked at the leaderboard and saw I could be in the final group, which is where I wanted to be. To make a nice 15-footer on the last hole was good,” said Wise, who has just one blemish on his scorecard through three rounds. “I’ve only made one bogey this week and that came with an out-of-bounds ball, so it’s a testament to how well I’m striking the ball and if I can get a few of those mid-range putts to drop, there’s a low one out there for me.”

Mackenzie, a two-time Tour winner who won the last time he played in Alberta at the 2014 ATB Financial Classic, cruised steadily for most of the day before going eagle-birdie-birdie on holes 14-16 to earn a share of the lead.

“I plugged along and played real solid. I got a very nice kick on my approach into 14, when it kicked right down to about six feet for eagle,” said Mackenzie, who added that his goal was to try and separate himself from the pack on Moving Day. “The guys are so good on this Tour and they go so low, you want to try and get as far ahead as possible just because you know there’s going to be guys shooting 8-under tomorrow.”

The win sets up a Sunday duel between two players in differing points of their respective careers, with the 35-year old Mackenzie pitting years of experience against the 20-year old Wise’s youth and exuberance.

“A Husky versus a Duck, old versus young. There’s a lot of fun ways you can play with that, so it’ll be fun tomorrow,” said Mackenzie, a former University of Washington standout.

For Wise, who made his pro debut at the U.S. Open, Sunday represents a chance to continue what has been a dream season so far in 2016, including his NCAA win and a semi-finalist nomination for the Ben Hogan Award during his sophomore season at Oregon. The Californian pointed to an amateur event in Australia this past January as the turning point for his stellar rise in the game.

“I look back at the Australian Master of the Amateurs as kind of the turning point for me,” said Wise. “That was the first tournament I’ve ever played where I was expected to win. I was the lowest ranked guy there, and to have that pressure on me and play as well as I did and win at Royal Melbourne, it gave me so much confidence.”

“I think my expectations,” Wise added, “are higher than just about anyone else’s. I know how good I can be and just how much work I’ve put into being as good as I can, especially now that I’ve turned pro.”

Two shots back of Wise and Mackenzie was Georgia’s Seth Reeves, who shot the round of the tournament with an 8-under 64 on Saturday, while PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Order of Merit leader Puma Dominguez was a shot further behind at 14-under.

EDMONTON – Lake Elsinore, California’s Aaron Wise, Yakima, Washington’s Brock Mackenzie and Las Vegas, Nevada’s Joseph Harrison reached 11-under par through 36 holes at Glendale Golf and Country Club to share the lead through two rounds at the Syncrude Oil Country Championship presented by AECON, the seventh event of the 2016 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

Wise, the 2016 NCAA Men’s Individual and Team Champion at the University of Oregon, matched Mackenzie and Harrison with identical rounds of 69-66 to take a co-share of the pole position heading into the weekend in Edmonton.

“I played better today. I didn’t hit the ball very well yesterday, and I went to the range this morning to work on it and hit it a lot better,” said the 21-year old, who arrived more than two hours before his tee time to put in some work ahead of his second round. “I’m definitely taking steps in the right direction and I think I’ll be ready for the weekend.”

Mackenzie, a two-time Tour winner who claimed victory the last time he teed it up in Alberta at the 2014 ATB Financial Classic in Calgary, said he has found comfort once again competing in the province and looked forward to the weekend ahead.

“I don’t know what it is. I stayed with (Calgary native and Mackenzie Tour member) James Love’s parents last time and I’m staying with his aunt this week, so maybe I just need to try and find every relative he has across Canada and stay with them,” said Mackenzie with a laugh.

Harrison, a second-year Mackenzie Tour member, put a conservative game plan in play on Glendale’s tree-line layout and took advantage with a 66 to share the lead.

“I hit more 3-irons off the tees than drivers, just to keep it in play and keep the big numbers off the scorecard,” said Harrison, who said he anticipated the chance to gain valuable experience this weekend. The 27-year old is 21st on the Order of Merit this year after getting in contention a handful of times early on this season.

“I’m definitely more comfortable having been in that situation before, but I still get a little nervous on that first tee and coming down 18, but that’s the adrenaline rush that feels good,” said Harrison.

One shot behind Wise, Mackenzie and Harrison were Airdrie, Alberta’s Riley Fleming and Olympia, Washington’s Cameron Peck at 10-under through two rounds.

Fleming is in his third season on the Mackenzie Tour and is making his 30th career start this week. In 2015, he finished 46th on the Order of Merit with four Top-25 finishes and one Top-10. Two of Fleming’s best three career finishes on the Mackenzie Tour have come in Alberta: a T4 at the 2015 Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON in Fort McMurray and a T13 at the 2014 ATB Financial Classic in Calgary.

“I feel like I’m playing well and the scores haven’t been there yet, so it’s nice to shoot some low numbers,” said Fleming. “I just wish the Alberta swing came a little earlier and I got the season off to a better start.”

EDMONTON – Delaware, Ohio’s Tim Ailes shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday at Gledale Golf and Country Club to take the first-round lead before play was suspended due to dangerous weather at the Syncrude Oil Country Championship presented by AECON, the seventh event of the 2016 Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada season.

The 43-year old Mackenzie Tour rookie hit just five fairways on the day but managed to hit enough greens to break out of a funk that has seen him miss his last three cuts on the Mackenzie Tour.

“I hit some good shots out of the rough close. My fellow competitors made a comment after I hit my second shot on 18 and said, ‘you played well out of the rough today,’” said Ailes with a laugh, adding that he’s been working hard in recent weeks. “You keep putting in the hard work and waiting for it to be about time, and it finally showed its head today.”

Currently the oldest Mackenzie Tour member in the field, Ailes carded six birdies and an eagle on the day to lead by one over five players. 42 players were left to complete their first round when play was suspended due to dangerous weather in the area at 6:14 p.m.

Among the players a shot back were Alberta’s own Riley Fleming, who was 6-under with two holes to play in round one, and 2012 ATB Financial Classic champion Michael Gligic, who claimed victory the last time the Mackenzie Tour played in Edmonton.

“I think it might be Alberta in general. Maybe it’s the thin air and the ball goes farther or something,” said Gligic, a native of Burlington, Ontario. “I’ve played pretty well in Edmonton and Calgary, and I don’t know what it is but I’m going to keep riding it.”

The 26-year-old currently ranks seventh on the Order of Merit and can move as high as second with a win this week. Hec is coming of finishes of T2 at the Players Cup and T4 at the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel.

“I’ve just kind of minimized some of the mistakes,” said Gligic when asked about his recent streak of strong play. “Earlier on in the year I had a big miss, a right shot I couldn’t get rid of. It would kind of pop out a couple of times each round and get me in trouble. I’ve kind of gotten rid of that and worked hard on my swing, and rolling the putter pretty good.”

Tied with Fleming and Gligic were England’s David Skinns, who finished the day at 6-under 66, as well as Auburn, Alabama’s Will McCurdy, who was 6-under with five holes to play in round one.

Thunder Bay, Ont. – Oklahoma’s Taylor Moore shot a final round 6-under 66 on Sunday at Whitewater Golf Club to win the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel for his first Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada win. The win moves Moore to No. 2 on the Order of Merit, earning him an exemption into the RBC Canadian Open next week.

The 22-year old University of Arkansas graduate carded five birdies, an eagle and one bogey to win by three over Listowel, Ont.’s Corey Conners.

“It feels incredible,” said Moore, who birdied the 18^th hole to secure the three shot victory. “I didn’t really want to think about it (RBC Canadian Open), but it’s a dream come true — it has been a life goal of mine to play in a PGA TOUR event. I’m excited about that and ready to get going.”

Starting the day with a one stroke lead over California’s Tain Lee, Moore started steadily but was quickly caught by Conners, who birdied his first three holes to tie Moore’s lead. Moore, a Mackenzie Tour rookie, responded strongly, however, with three birdies and an eagle from from holes three through seven to take control of the tournament, adding a birdie at the 10^th to take a four shot lead with eight holes to go.

“Corey came out of the gates hot and birdied the first three so I knew I couldn’t just sit there and be complacent,” said Moore.

“Taylor had a great eagle on no. 7, made a great putt, and I walked out of there with a par so that was a bit of a swing,” said Conners, who was nonetheless pleased with his performance. “I played pretty well, got off to a really nice start. I’m happy with my game all around.”

For Moore, the win came with the added bonus of having his father, Rod, caddying for him for the first time as a professional.

“It’s something you’ll remember forever. It’s awesome, to have him on the bag is even better. He doesn’t get to do it very often,” said Moore, who recorded a runner-up finish earlier this year at the Bayview Place Island Savings Open presented by Times Colonist.

Conners, who currently ranks No. 3 on the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Order of Merit, recorded his best career Mackenzie Tour finish, as did Church Point, Nova Scotia’s Austin Connelly, who shot a 5-under 67 to finish alone in third place.

MCCARTHY, MOORE, CORNELSON TEE IT UP ON THE PGA TOUR

As the top three players on the Order of Merit, Syracuse, New York’s Dan McCarthy, Edmond, Oklahoma’s Taylor Moore and Langley, British Columbia’s Adam Cornelson earned exemptions into the PGA TOUR’s RBC Canadian Open next week at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

Below are the top five players on the Order of Merit through six of 12 events, with the top five earning status on the Web.com Tour for 2017 (bold denotes Canadian).

1. Dan McCarthy $106,383
2. Taylor Moore $53,392
3. Adam Cornelson $37,297

THUNDER BAY, Ont. – Edmond, Oklahoma’s Taylor Moore eagled the 18th hole on Saturday at Whitewater Golf Club to shoot a 6-under 66 and take the 54-hole lead at the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel, the sixth event of the 2016 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

The 22-year old rolled in a 30-foot putt for eagle on the final hole to lead by one shot over Irvine, California’s Tain Lee and two over a group of three players headed to Sunday in Thunder Bay.

“Obviously that was nice to see that go in. I was just trying to lag it down the hill there and get another shot going into tomorrow, and it happened to fall in, so it was a bonus,” said Moore. “The wind started blowing on the back nine, and I just stayed steady throughout.”

Starting the day three strokes off the lead, the University of Arkansas graduate started slowly but caught fire with a 5-under 31 on the inward nine to reach 12-under, with four birdies complementing his eagle at the last.

“I got it going on those holes into the wind. I hit a few quality shots and had some putts drop,” said Moore.

Sunday’s fourth round will put plenty on the line for Moore, who needs at least a two-way tie for second to move inside the top three on the Order of Merit and earn an exemption into the RBC Canadian Open next week. Still, the rookie pro said he would try not to get caught up in the moment and continue with what has worked for him so far this week.

“I’m just going to try to take it one shot at a time and stick to my gameplan and add ‘em up at the end. At the end of the day, it’s just another golf tournament and I’ll try to hit some golf shots and make a few putts,” said Moore.

Lee, who began the day with a two-shot lead, managed a 70 to sit at 11-under, while Corey Conners, David Skinns and Cameron Peck were a shot further behind heading into Sunday.

Corey Conners is making his third start of the season and 12th of his Mackenzie Tour career. The Listowel, Ont., native sits third on the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Order of Merit this season with four Top-10s and no missed cuts in eight events. “I have a lot of confidence from playing well down there. I have a goal to keep getting myself in position and hopefully to win an event, and it’s great to have played well all year and know that I can trust my game,” said the 24-year-old.

The member of Golf Canada’s Young Pro Squad is in his second season as a professional after a stellar amateur career that included a runner-up finish at the 2014 U.S. Amateur and a berth in the 2015 Masters Tournament. Conners played collegiate golf at Kent State, where he was twice named an NCAA All-American.

Conners finished third at the 2015 Staal Foundation open presented by Tbaytel, which earned him conditional status for the remainder of the season as one of the top three non-members on the Order of Merit through six events. Conners went on to finish 37th on the Order of Merit to retain exempt status for 2016.

Conners’ 64 matches the course and tournament record, which was shot four times in 2014-15 and earlier on Saturday by Long Beach, California’s Brett Lederer.

Team Canada National Amateur Squad alum Austin Connelly holds a share of sixth at 9-under. Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ont., and Montréal’s Max Gilbert are part of a five-way tie for 8th.

Irvine, California’s Tain Lee shot a 6-under 66 on Friday at Whitewater Golf Club to take the 36-hole lead at the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel, the sixth event of the 2016 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

The 26-year old carded five straight birdies midway through his round and was without a bogey on Friday, building a two shot lead over Comox, British Columbia’s Riley Wheeldon and Santee, California’s Dan Miernicki.

“I felt like someone was going to go really low, so I was going pedal to the metal. The scores aren’t as low as I thought they would be, but obviously I’m happy with how I played,” said Lee, who parred his first seven holes but gained momentum after a draining a long birdie putt on the 18^th, his ninth.

“On 17 I hit it to four feet, maybe even less, and the putt didn’t even touch the hole. I hit a bad putt. After that, I was a little frustrated with myself and made a good putt on 18. Once I saw that go in, I was comfortable and kind of free-wheeling,” said Lee.

After getting off to a slow start this year, Lee, a former Web.com Tour member, carded four rounds in the 60s last week for his best finish of the year, a T15 result at the Players Cup, giving him confidence heading into this week.

“Last week, I’ve been playing pretty good coming into this stretch. I think my confidence is a little higher than normal and so far it’s showing, but we’ll see what happens,” said Lee.

Two shots behind Lee were Miernicki, who carded the round of the day with a 7-under 65, and Wheeldon, who carded three birdies and a bogey.

Former National Team member Austin Connelly of Irving, Texas matched Wheeldon’s round of 70 to sit one stroke back in a tie for fourth. Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.) holds a share of 33rd along with Brad Clapp (Chilliwack, B.C.) and Aaron Cockerill (Gunton, Man.). National Team member Blair Hamilton (Burlington, Ont.), Chris Hemmerich (Kitchener, Ont.), Adam Cornelson (New Westminster, B.C.), and Ryan Williams (Surrey, B.C.) are knotted at 57th.