Rory bounces back into T1 at Buick Championship...Live leaderboard, FedEx standings...

   PGA Tour : Buick Championship FedExCup  Leaderboard Tee Times

The top 50 have made their way to the revamped parkland course, Bellerive CC in St Louis where so far it's a mainly sunny 82*f slight wind 8mph NW, much more comfortable than the oppressive 100+* in Memphis last week.

After failing to break par in 4 rounds last week at St Jude Championship in Memphis, Rory McIlroy who had lost a feel for his swing after a 4 week break, flew home to Florida for 2 days of work with coach Mitch Bannon, then bounced back to T1 for the lead -6 64 with Gary Woodland, Wyndham Clark, Chris Gotterup and JJ Spaun.

"At least Mitch got me back to where I felt like I knew what I was doing, days like this are encouraging, but I have still got a long ways to go" said the world #2.

There are no Canadians in the field to report on.

The Fitzpatrick's continue their dream season, Matt T6 -5 65 a Player of the Year candidate, his younger brother Alex, making more money than in his entire career, T8 -4 66.

After his unchallenged 8 shot win last week, Scott Scheffler struggled, making 5 bogey's T44 +2 72, citing a flu bug had made him sick before heading home for some more medication.

For all scores, tee times, FedEx standings click on my links above...

Bryan Angus

Huang leads Canadians in Edmonton at mosquito ridden CPKC Women's Open ...18 hole results

   LPGA : CPKC Women's Open 

Leaderboard

Japan's Miyu Yamashita shot a season-low -8 62 on the 6,452-yard, par-70 Royal Mayfair Golf Club in Edmonton. She is one stroke ahead of her countrywoman Nasa Hataoka -7 63 and two up -6 64 on Kiara Romero of the United States.

The first round was played under mostly cloudy skies, a temperature of 24 C and in occasional clouds of insect repellent. Edmonton’s 56 centimetres of rain since June 1 made the city a breeding ground for mosquitoes. 

“I’m getting annihilated,” said one caddie as she sprayed herself down at the turn.

Anna Huang (Bernard Brault, Golf Canada)

Vancouver’s Anna Huang, 17, and 18-year-old amateur Michelle Xing of Richmond Hill, Ont., were three shots off the lead at -5 65 in a T4 to lead the Canadians, with China’s Ruoning Yin and Japan’s Yuri Yoshida.

The  25-year-old Women's Open Champion, Yamashita, who also won June’s Meijer LPGA Classic in Belmont, Mich., recorded eight birdies.

“It’s been a while since I finished the first round in good position,” she said. “My putting was really nice, so I felt really good.”

Defending champion Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., seeking a third win in her home LPGA tournament, finished with a birdie to go -3 67

“I feel it was very important and it felt great,” Henderson said. “I really wanted it. I hit it really hard. I’m glad I hit the hole, but to see it go in was really nice.

“The scores are very low out here today, the leaders especially, so just trying to go out tomorrow and make a bunch of birdies and try to catch them.”

Henderson birdied her first three holes of the back nine after making the turn at even par. Her tee shot and second shot found rough on the 16th hole, which she bogeyed.

“If you find the rough or you’re not hitting it so well, it can really be penalizing as well, so you’re just trying to stick to the short stuff,” she said. “Every time I made a bogey, I was able to bounce back with a birdie pretty quickly, which is important.

“Three under, definitely going to need a little bit more tomorrow, but a good start.”

Both Huang and Xing were positioned to make the cut Friday for the first time in their careers after two tries apiece.

“Definitely making the cut would be a really big goal for me, and then hopefully some good weekend golf,” said Huang, who won 4 European Tour tournaments in the last 11 months.

“I’m definitely a lot more confident than I was the past few years coming into this event, and then also just all the crowds out there really helped.”

Xing was a late addition to the field with a sponsor’s exemption.

“As an amateur, like that’s one of my biggest goals, is to make the cut at an LPGA event, especially when it’s in Canada,” she said. “It would mean a whole lot.”

OTHER CANADIANS

Clairey Lin, a 16-year-old amateur from Langley, B.C., shot a -2 68 in her tournament debut. 

Tour veteran Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., joined her at -2.

 Vancouver’s Leah John turned in a -1 69 and Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont., shot E 70.

Lin’s fellow Canadian amateurs Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C., Calgary’s Aphrodite Deng and Shauna Liu of Maple, Ont., all shot E70, Toronto’s Vanessa Borovilos was +2 72 o and Eileen Park of Red Deer, Alta., carded a +8 78.

Katie Cranston of Oakville, Ont., shot a +4 74, Alena Sharp of Hamilton a +7 77 and Calgary’s Tillie Claggett shot a +8 78.

Donna Spencer (Canadian Press)

Bryan Angus (edit)

Swede Marcus Kinhult leads in Scotland...Nexo Championship 18 hole results...

   DP World Tour : Nexo Championship Tee Times Leaderboard

Marcus Kinhult holds a two-shot lead over a chasing pack that includes amateur Eliot Baker after the first round at the Nexo Championship in Scotland.

The Swede mixed seven birdies with two bogeys in a -5 67 over the Old Course at Trump International Golf Links, on a day of testing conditions that demanded patience.

Baker, who was announced on Tuesday as part of the Great Britain and Ireland team for next month's Walker Cup, is one of four players at -3 69 alongside fellow Englishman Andrew Wilson, France's Félix Mory and Zimbabwe's Benjamin Follett-Smith.

Kinhult, whose sole DP World Tour victory to date came on UK soil at the British Masters in 2019, came close to his second title earlier this season as he finished tied second in Belgium.

Among the afternoon wave who enjoyed the better of the weather as the morning rain cleared away and sunny skies appeared, albeit with strong winds, Kinhult produced a hat-trick of birdies on his back nine to hit the front late in the day but conceded he was far from at his best.

"It was a very ugly minus five," he said. "Tee to green, it was not great to be honest.

"I’m not going to complain, I’m very happy with the score, but I was a little bit off off the tee, and also into the green.

"My short game and putting was unbelievable today, which obviously helps, so I’m happy with the score."

"When I walked outside this morning at 7 o’clock, it was raining pretty hard and it was cold, so I think we got the better draw today. It was tough.

"It’s slightly different this year, I remember last year the wind was the other direction, so the course is playing completely different, so it’s a good challenge for sure."

Starting at the first, Baker, the sole amateur in the field, capitalised on the downwind first to get off to the dream start with a birdie.

"Didn't really know what to expect from today, but I just enjoyed the experience out there and thankfully it went well," said Baker, winner of last year’s Scottish Men’s Open Championship at North Berwick.

"I've no expectation this week, just purely trying to enjoy it, gaining the experience and hoping it builds me as a player."

HotelPlanner Tour graduate 31 year old Mory who has made four of his last six cuts on the DP World Tour was thrilled with his performance.

"Just keep doing the same thing. I mean, it's going to be blowing, we're in Scotland, you know? So probably a lot of low shots and yeah, just stick to what I'm doing and just do the best I can."

32 year old Follett-Smith made his first cut on the DP World Tour since May last week, is a two-time winner on the HotelPlanner Tour. He made birdies at the tenth and 16th as he dropped just the one shot on his front nine at the 15th, capitalised on the par fives that played downwind over the front nine, before he recovered from a bogey at the eighth to set up a tap-in birdie at the ninth.

There were then eight players at -2, including Danish duo Jacob Skov Olesen and Lucas Bjerregard, English pair Matthew Southgate and Haydn McCullen, Japan's Keita Nakajima, Australia's Jason Scrivener, Sweden's Albin Bergstrom and Scotland's Scott Jamieson.

europeantour.com

Bryan Angus

CPKC Women's Open...Live leaderboard

 LPGA : CPKC Women's Open 

Leaderboard

Play is underway at this year's CPKC) Canadian Women's Open at the Royal Mayfair Club in Edmonton, Alberta.

It's 25* very little wind and no rain for a change in  Edmonton !!

Brooke Henderson leads the Canadian contingent of 15 including veterans Alena Sharp and Maude Aimee Leblanc and 17 year old LET sensation Anna Huang who has won her last 4 events before she even joins the LPGA !!

more to follow...

Bryan Angus

PGA Tour: Buick Championship...Live leaderboard, TEE TIMES, FedEx standings

 PGA Tour : Buick Championship FedExCup  Leaderboard Tee Times

The top 50 have made their way to the revamped parkland course, Bellerive CC in St Louis where so far it's a mainly sunny 82*f slight wind 8mph NW, much more comfortable than the oppressive 100+* in Memphis last week.

In 1965 Gary Player became the 3rd man in history to complete the career Grand Slam by winning the US Open at Bellerive beating Kel Nagle in an 18 hole playoff, then gave away his $26,000 check to charity, plus $1000 to his caddy. 

In comparison after this week the PGA Tour will split $100,000,000 in bonus money to the top 30, Scheffler with the #1 spot, gets a $22,000,000 gift as a "reward" for his play this season.

There are no Canadians in the field, after his unchallenged 8 shot win last week, Scott Scheffler is the focus this week by all the American media, Rory was been out of sorts last week, looking to rebound with a better performance here.

With 35 games to go in the MLB season, with captivating Wild Card races including here with the surging Toronto Blue Jays, and the NFL season looming to take over the TV ratings, the PGA Tour will rap up the 2026 season next week at East Lake in Atlanta for the top 30.

The players are paired in two's off the 11st tee, beginning at 9.03 CDT in St Louis which is 10.03 EST.

For full tee times, a live scoreboard and each players FedEx standings click on my links above.

Bryan Angus

Patrick Reed headlines misty, windy start to Nexo Championship... Live scoreboard

 DP World Tour : Nexo Championship Tee Times Leaderboard

Patrick Reed is energised by the end goal of winning the Race to Dubai as he starts a long run of golf on the DP World Tour on a wet windy morning on Trump International in Aberdeenshire at the Nexo Championship.

The American leads the season-long points battle from Rory McIlroy, who is bidding to claim the Harry Vardon Trophy for a fifth consecutive year and match Colin Montgomerie's all-time record of eight crowns.

Twice a winner so far this year, Reed has a big chance to cement his position at the top of the Race to Dubai Rankings, over the coming weeks.

Refreshed after a month-long break since his last competitive outing at The Open, the 2018 Masters champion has committed to a run of five straight events on the DP World Tour.

That run will see him play twice in England, along with outings in Switzerland and Ireland, after he headlines the field this week at Trump International Golf Links in Scotland.

"I think the biggest thing is taking it day by day," he said.

"Obviously, we know where we stand. At the end of the year, obviously, we want to go ahead and win the Race to Dubai.

"But really the easiest way, I feel like, to get there is by focusing on each day, just improving each day, and go out, and staying present.

"If you sit there and start thinking too far ahead, then you start losing sight of what you're doing right then and there.

"Golf is one of those games [where if] you start thinking too far ahead or too far behind you, it can bite you.

"So, for me, it's just staying present, keep grinding each day, week and a week out.

"Hopefully there's enough late Sundays where we go out and try to win a couple more tournaments and at the end of the year, hopefully, hold up the big trophy."

Reed is bidding to become just the second American to win the Race to Dubai after Collin Morikawa in 2021.

Across 13 starts this season, the 36-year-old has won titles in Dubai and Qatar, registered a runner-up finish in Bahrain and missed just two cuts.

HOLIDAY

Since the final Major Championship of the year at Royal Birkdale last month, Reed has spent time at home with his family and returns to action with a renewed focus.

"It's been an interesting year with having a lot of downtime in between the majors and in season.

"It's been something to kind of get used to and try to figure out. But it's been unbelievable being at home, especially after the major run, to have that downtime coming into this last stretch.

"Spent a lot of time with the kids, the summer just ended for them. So, been getting some quality time with them and the family.

"At the same time, going out, grinding and practising, getting ready. It's always sad when you leave home, especially when you're going on a long run like this. You're not going be able to see the family.

"I think it was the first time I've actually been really thrilled to feel low 60s (Fahrenheit) weather - it was a little grey and misty when I landed.

"You know, just to get out of that really hot heat, but at the same time get back out, playing with these guys and getting the competitiveness going.

PRO-AM

Reed enjoyed the company of Scottish sporting royalty as he played alongside three-time Grand Slam champion Sir Andy Murray, renowned coach Judy Murray, as well as seven-time Grand Slam doubles champion Jamie Murray in Wednesday's Pro-Am.

"It was such a pleasure playing with the family and to kind of get to be able to experience and talk to another high-profile athlete," he reflected.

"He's usually playing a different sport and it is always fun to see a competitive side come out, but also that athletic side.

"He [Andy] hit some quality golf shots there, and so did his brother. But the highlight of the day was, mom [Judy] goes out and drives the green on seven and makes birdie on her own ball."

THE COURSE

The Old Course at Trump International Golf Links made its DP World Tour debut last year, with the Martin Hawtree-designed layout having opened in 2012.

"The golf course to look at is stunning," he said.

"The way it plays, just really all depends. We haven't had very much wind during practice, and because of that, the golf course is I’d say, a little easier but the golf course definitely has challenges for sure.

"I was hearing stories and the guys were telling me about last year, how hard the wind was blowing. I can see that around a golf course like this.

"With these dunes, if you get up on them, it's just nasty, thick grass, the ball doesn't bounce out of it, and because of that the golf course can play really challenging.

"It definitely puts a premium on ball striking and knowing how you're going to attack each hole."

europeantour.com

Bryan Angus (edit)

Summary of Closing Swing, what is at stake, at Trump International...

 DP World Tour : Nexo Championship Tee Times Leaderboard

The Closing Swing is set for an intriguing finish as it returns to the country where it started for the Nexo Championship.

After four events across as many countries, Scotland plays host to the final event of the fifth of five Global Swings.

Here, we take a look at what's at stake and how things stand as Phase One of the DP World Tour season comes to a climax.

What is up for grabs?

The Swings provide a chance for players to enjoy a truly exceptional season on the DP World Tour, with the player who tops the Rankings earning entry into every event in Phase Two of the season - the Back 9. 

Those nine events made up of national opens and storied international tournaments provide elevated prize funds and points and a perfect platform to play your way into Phase Three - the DP World Tour Play-Offs. Also available to the Rankings winner is a bonus of US$200,000.

The player who finishes highest in the Rankings and is not already exempt will also earn a place in the field at the BMW PGA Championship - the third Rolex Series event of the season.

And that's not all: At the end of this week, the leading ten players in the Race to Dubai Rankings who have participated in at least eight Race to Dubai Ranking Tournaments (excluding Majors and Genesis Scottish Open) will share a US$ 1M Global Swings bonus pool.

To view the full Closing Swing Rankings, click here.

To view the Race to Dubai Rankings, click here.

Who can win the Swing?

Stefano Mazzoli and Jeff Winther are the men to catch at the top of the Closing Swing Rankings.

Their challenge, however, is that neither the Italian nor the Dane will play in the final event at Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire, leaving the door open for a long list of chasers.

Four different players have won across the four events so far, but Genesis Scottish Open champion Tom Kim and ISCO Championship winner Steven Fisk are not DP World Tour members, meaning they have not earned any Closing Swing points.

Sixty‑six players already feature on the Closing Swing Rankings and are set to tee it up in Scotland, with six of them currently inside the top 20.

Closing Swing/Race to Dubai points breakdown at Nexo Championship

• To view a full points breakdown, click here.

europeantour.com

Bryan Angus (edit)