First with Jason Day being the latest to withdraw from the Olympic golf competition in Rio due to family concerns with the Zika virus, the Canadian contingent doesn't seem to have the same concerns, or at least the same level of concern. Graham DeLaet, David Hearn, Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp are all going as of this writing, although DeLaet is just returning to play this week after his struggles to overcome the yips.
Here is my weekly look at where all the Canadians are with live leaderboard links so you can follow them all. There are only two weeks left to qualify for the Open Championship.
Brooke Henderson leads the Canadian contingent of seven as she sets out to defend her title. Anne Catherine Tanguay, Alena Sharp, Samantha Richdale and Lorie Kane are joined by AJ Eathorne and amateur Naomi Young Ko.
Speaking of Ko, Lydia is not in the field this week. Thirty-seven of the top 50 players are skipping the Portland stop. Many players are opting to take this week off ahead of the U.S. Women’s Open next week in California. Normally the Portland tournament is popular among the women, but it was moved up in the schedule this year because the LPGA is taking three weeks off for the Olympics. For the past 11 years the event has been held in August
So while Keith Pelley and his crew have managed to get Rory to play at the French Open's 100th, Jason, Jordan, Rickie DJ and defending champion Shane Lowry are in Akron at Firestone for this WGC event. Only the top 60 in rankings or those closest to it are invited, there is no cut so a good payday for all, a huge pay day for the winner.
There are no Canadians with a high enough ranking to qualify.
Spectacular Reno, Nevada is the setting for Graham DeLaet's welcome return to the tour and he is joined by Nick Taylor as they play the only stableford competition of the year. Here is how the scoring works.
Albatros 8 points, eagle 5 points, birdie 2 points, par 0 point, bogey -1, double or worse -3.
Mike Weir has accepted an invitation to play the special 100th edition of the French Open at the Ryder Cup course, Le Golf National.
There is a very strong field headed by Rory McIlroy. Danny Willett, Lee Westwood, Luke Donald join most all of the other European Tour stars on this tough course where there are four spots up for grabs at the Open Championship.
So far in the opening round only 17 players are under par. Rory is in at E 71.
Canadian Lakes in Michigan is the setting for this LPGA development tour stop this week and there is as always a large Canadian group, 13 to be exact.
Augusta James and Sara Maude Juneau are joined this week by Laura DeMarco, Christina Foster, Maya Parsons, Liz Tong, Anna Young, Jessica Wallace, Megan Osland, Jennifer Ha, Vivian Tsui, Brittany Marchand and Natalia Ghilzon.
Around the other side of the world in China it's already night time, so round one is already in the books and we have three Canadians playing.
Eugene Wong has made the trip and opened with -2 70 as did Justin Shin who plays this tour every week, they are T9. Rafael Lee has shot +1 73, T38. The leader is South Korean Jae Ho Kim -5 67.
As I mentioned earlier this week the Greenbrier Classic in West Virginia was likely to be cancelled and the PGA Tour has done the prudent thing considering the tragic flooding that has taken 23 lives.
Here is the AP press release.
The PGA Tour announced Saturday that the Greenbrier Classic scheduled for next month has been cancelled because of the devastating flooding in West Virginia.
The tournament had been scheduled for July 7-10 at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, which was inundated with floodwaters after heavy storms rolled into the state Thursday.
Tour officials say the Old White TPC, the host course, suffered extensive damage and “is beyond reasonable repair to conduct the tournament.”
PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said officials were heartbroken by the devastation in West Virginia and offered their thoughts and prayers.
“Cancelling the Greenbrier Classic is certainly the most prudent course of action as our foremost concern is the well-being of those who are having to live through this tragic situation,” Finchem said.
Greenbrier County claimed 15 of the 23 deaths attributed to the flooding.
This is the first time a PGA Tour event has been washed out since the Viking Classic in Madison, Mississippi, in 2009. Unplayable conditions also led to the cancellation of the 1996 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
With rounds of 66 69 65 -13 it's great to see Ernie Els back in form, trailing hometown boy and Naval Academy man Billy Hurley -15, by just two shots as we head into Sunday on the Blue course at Congressional, in this Tiger Woods hosted tournament.
Ernie has the shot of the week after he out for eagle on the par4 12th. He hasn't won in 4 years and has missed the cut in his last 4 events including the US Open'
Spain's Jon Rahm is playing his first event as a professional, had four bogeys in a 70 that left him three strokes behind Hurley.
Canadian scores: Nick Taylor 69 70 69 -5 T14, David Hearn 70 67 72 -4 T19, Adam Hadwin MC
With brilliant rounds of 65 65 -12 Alena Sharp is right in contention again at the NW Arkansas Championship in Rogers, Arkansas as she trails the world's #1 Lydia Ko who has been just a shot or two better with 66 62 -14 and American star Morgan Pressel 65 63 -14.
Maude Aimee LeBlanc is T66 71 68 -3 while Brook Henderson missed a rare cut with 69 73 E. Samantha Richdale and Anne Catherine Tanguay also missed the cut.
Ko tied the course record buoyed by 5 birdies and an eagle on her back nine as she looks for her 3rd win of the year.
At just over 6300 yards, scores have been very low on this Pinnacle Country Club and I expect more of the same later today and will be interested to see if Alena can keep the pressure on Ko and Pressel for her first LPGA Tour win.
She was T22 at the KPMG PGA Championship then T13 last week at the Meijer LPGA Classic.
After only 4 hours or so of play on Saturday, play at this BMW International in Pulheim Germany was suspended then abandoned at 4pm after heavy downpours put parts of the course under water.
The skies have cleared overnight and the players facing 36 holes were sent out paired in 3's to complete their 3rd rounds.
At the top of the leaderboard Swedish star Henrik Stenson and Norway's Thorbjorn Olesen have emerged as the men to beat. Olesen has posted rounds of 67 67 67 -15, while Stenson has been superb from tee to green with rounds of 68 65 67 -16.
Frenchman Jacquelin Rafael is 3rd at -12.
With Stensen hitting nothing but fairways, and with clean and place giving him perfect lies he seems the odds on favourite to emerge the winner, especially if his putter heats up.
The Greenbrier Classic is scheduled to begin two weeks from Thursday, but a storm has left the course and the area flooded to the degree that West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin has issued a state of emergency for Greenbrier County.
The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, W.V., meanwhile issued this statement:
"Due to the torrential rains that have fallen in Greenbrier County, W.Va., throughout the day, The Greenbrier is experiencing heavy flooding throughout the resort and in surrounding areas. All actions are being taken to keep all guests and Team Members safe, and that is the focus of everybody at this time.”
Greenbrier owner and CEO Jim Justice, a West Virginia native, said, “It’s like nothing I’ve seen. But our focus right now isn’t on the property, the golf course or anything else. We’re praying for the people and doing everything we can to get them the help they need.”
Bubba Watson lives on the property and his video shows the course underwater as the river flowing through it has burst through it's banks, Surrounding roads, bridges and all their accessories have been severely compromised as some 10" of rain has fallen within 10 hours with more expected.
The governor's office has reported one young boy was swept to his death with other fatalities expected.
A pair of Irishmen Rory McIlroy and now Graeme McDowell will not be playing for Ireland at the Olympics in Rio this summer.
Rory has cited the risk about the Zika virus, saying it is “a risk I am unwilling to take.”
“After speaking with those closest to me, I’ve come to realize that my health and my family’s health comes before anything else,” the four-time major winner said in a statement released by his management company.
"Even though the risk of infection from the Zika virus is considered low,” McIlroy said, “it is a risk nonetheless and a risk I am unwilling to take.
This morning Graeme McDowell has joined Rory with the birth of his second child due to coincide with the conclusion of the competition.
That leaves Padraig Harrington next in line for selection and he says he would love to represent his country in Rio.
Personally I believe that if this were the Ryder Cup being played in the middle of August, a brutal time for the professional golf schedule, you wouldn't see either of them pulling out.
The Zika virus has simply given Rory the excuse he needed to withdraw without just saying " I'm too busy and not really interested" and I would think he and Graeme had a long talk about it before they pulled out. It must be said he has represented his country whenever asked mostly as an amateur
Adam Scott, Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel and Vijay Singh won't be there either, mostly due to scheduling commitments.
The fact is that in the world of pro golf the majors, the Ryder or Presidents Cup and national championships, plus sponsor expectations come well before the Olympics every 4 years, and also I feel the IOC missed the boat in not making it a team event.
Just over a month away from the RBC Canadian Open at the Abbey with stops along the way at Reno, Akron, West Virginia, Alabama and Royal Troon, and that's just the PGA Tour that has the Quickens Loans this week at Congressional which is facing a weather delay this morning.
Here's where the Canadians are this week with live leaderboards to follow them all.
Adam Hadwin, Nick Taylor and David Hearn are in the field this week at the Congressional Blue course down in Bethesda, Maryland where Rickie Fowler and Patrick Reed are the headliners and Tiger Woods is the host.
Play has been delayed this morning with pouring rain, thunder and lightning in the area.
Richard Lee out of Vancouver is the lone Canadian. 18 of the field played in the US Open last week. Oliver Fisher from England has the clubhouse lead in Pulheim, Germany with a -6 66.
When play begins on Friday Brooke Henderson leads a contingent of 5 Canadians. Maude Aimee LeBlanc Alena Sharp, Anne Catherine Tanquay and Samantha Richdale in Rogers, Arkansas.
Ryan Yip, Adam Svensson, Roger Sloan, Taylor Pendrith, MacKenzie Hughes, and Albin Choi are the six Canucks, playing at the Crestview CC in Wichita Kansas for the 27th year.
Steve Stricker is at home in Madison, Wisconsin at the University Ridge GC., and he is the host for this week's stop on the senior circuit where Rod Spittle will tee it up with the usual cast of characters including a very fat John Daly, whose weight goes up and down, mostly up more often than a toilet seat at a Shriners convention.
The PGA Tour Canada continues it's trip across the country with a stop in Saskatoon this week. There are 27 Canadians in the field including Matt Hill the former world #1 amateur who unlike Nick Taylor has struggled with his game since turning pro.
The ladies on the LPGA Tour development circuit are in Harris, Michigan this Friday thru Sunday and is where we will find 8 of our up and comers including Augusta James, Sue Kim, Jennifer Kirby, Brittany Marchand, and Sara Maude Juneau
You can cross DJ off the list of the best players in golf who haven't won a major.
as he finished this disjointed US Open at Oakmont -4 after a 69, three clear of Ireland's Shane Lowry who lost his putting touch and a 4 shot lead, slumping to 76, Jim Furyk and Scott Piercy.
As always with Dustin Johnson it didn't come without controversy.
Johnson who struck the ball better than everyone all week, had a 4 foot putt for par on the fifth hole and after he took a few practice strokes he put the putter behind the ball and it looked like it may have moved slightly. He called over the rules official, told him it didn’t move and he tapped in for par after the official told him to play on.
Then on the 12th hole, in the middle of the US Open he was informed by the USGA they had questions about whether the ball did move or not, in fact they told him he would likely get a one shot penalty.
"After looking at video, the actions he took could have caused the ball to move,” said Jeff Hall, director of rules and open championships for the USGA. “We asked if there was some other reason the ball could have moved. He didn’t state a reason.”
After a hailstorm of criticism on social media by nearly all the top players, the USGA said afterwards they wanted him to know that a one-shot penalty was likely so he could play accordingly, but it led to confusion especially when Shane Lowry thought he had caught him when Johnson made his only bogey on the back nine.
Johnson with his usual easy going style continued to play superbly including a stunning drive and approach to 10 feet at the final hole for birdie and even with the one stroke penalty he finished at -4 276 to wipe away the memories of last year at Chambers Bay and his other so close finishes.
Lowry, the first player since Payne Stewart in 1998 to lose a four-shot lead in the final round of the U.S. Open, lost his putting touch that had given him the lowest 54-hole total at Oakmont. He three-putted from long range on three straight holes to end his brilliant run, while Lee Westwood had one of the worst front nines of his pro career shooting 43 on the way to a +10, 80.
I expect this enormously talented young guy to go on now and win several more majors. He has the monkey off his back, seems well grounded with Pauline, his son and the rest of with the Gretzky clan right in his corner.
Now it's up to Sergio, and Lee and Rickie to step up and join him...
Defending champion Lexi Thompson shot a -5 66 on Saturday for a share of the lead at -15 with US Open champion In Gee Chun who had a bogey-free 65. Earlier this year she had to miss a month because of a back injury after she was struck by a suitcase that Ha Na Jang’s father dropped down an escalator at the Singapore airport !
Lydia Ko shot a 67 to reach -11 starting the back nine with four straight birdies.
update***Shane Lowry has made 2 birdies this morning, shooting a third round 65 -7 total for a four shot lead going into the final round. Dustin Johnson is at -3 as is Andrew Landry. Daniel Summerhays with an eagle at 17 is at -2 as is Lee Westwood.
The final pairing is Shane Lowry and Andrew Landry and how much money would you have won if you had that in a bet !
Previous.. After a marathon Saturday at sunny Oakmont the third round of this US Open is still not complete and the eventual winner later this evening is still up for grabs, with several intriguing storylines waiting to unfold.
First, most of the big names you are familiar with will not be playing. Rory McIlroy made a double bogey on his last hole to miss the cut as did Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler and Justin Rose.
Jason Day did make the cut by a shot after opening with 76, by shooting 69 in the morning then 66 in the afternoon. He is at +1, 6 shots off the lead.
That lead is held by the bearded Irishman Shane Lowry who made 5 birdies in 14 holes before darkness fell and is at -5-under par with a 2 shot lead and will return this morning to play the final four holes.
If he does survive his next 22 holes it would be the 10th major in the last 10 years for Irish golf ( Darren Clarke, Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Padraig Harrington)
Two shots behind in his first US Open at #203 on the money list is qualifier Andrew Landry who is at -3 with 5 holes to complete this morning.
How about this for a story. Just 3 shots behind at -2 are three guys we all know who have come so close to winning a major in their storied careers with no luck so far. Dustin Johnson was leading after 36 holes, and is still hanging in there with 5 holes left to play this morning, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood could wipe out all their major memories with a much deserved win today.
Jordan Spieth got it going with three straight birdies but stalled as so many have with a double bogey on No. 2 (his 11th hole) and finished with 70 to start the final round at +4, nine shots off the lead.
A guy I am watching out for today is the clubhouse leader, South African Branden Grace who shot a third round 66 to get to -1, and sleeps in this morning just 4 shots off the lead. This guy has all the tools, was the star of the Presidents Cup with a 5-0 record, has won around the world, and you'll remember was right in contention at Chambers Bay until he doubled the last hole.
When the 25 players left finish up their third rounds this morning, they will pair the field in two's and send them all off the first tee until play is completed, and the winner is declared.
Oakmont continues to bake and dry out which will add to the intrigue, as this US Open will be up for grabs right to the end.
Alena Sharp has gone out and shot 66 67 -9 to sit T2 going into the weekend at the Meijer LPGA Classic along with South Korean players In Gee Chun, So Yeon Ryu and Q Baek.
The world's top 2 players, Lydia Ko and Brooke Henderson, coming off a playoff victory over Ko in the KPMG Women’s PGA, are at -7 after rounds of 67 68 to T13.
Henderson played her final nine holes in -4 after a slow start and remember she has 10 top-10 finishes this season and has her parents with her in Michigan this week.
“It was much warmer out today, a beautiful day,” Henderson said. “I started out not as well as I would have liked, 1 over for the front nine, but I made a lot of birdies on the back and go 4 under, so overall it was a pretty steady day. I know I have some work to do on the weekend, but I’m looking forward to it.”
The leader is another young star and the defending champion, 21-year-old Lexi Thompson who shot a -4 67, to go with her opening 65 to reach -10 132. She has a sore back this week so we'll see how it holds up over the weekend.
Maude Aimee LeBlanc has shot 70 69 -3 T39 so she will play on the weekend while Samantha Richdale and Anne Catherine Tanguay missed the cut.
Current situation... Some guys like co-leader Andrew Landry had to get up at 3.45am just to start their second round this morning, half the field are in that position, some will get to sleep until noon.
As of 7am this morning round two will resume, then by early afternoon they will make the cut and they will be paired in threes and sent out off the first and tenth to begin round 3 and play again until dark.
Then they will return to finish round 3 on Sunday morning to finish round three before being paired in 2's for the final round off the first tee.
So it continues to be a disjointed story at this Oakmont course that is slowly drying out and firming up after all the rain that fell on Wednesday and Thursday. The good news is the weatherman is going to co-operate over the weekend, with sunny skies and warm temperatures.
What I can tell you is that Dustin Johnson has shot 67 69 -4 to tie for the lead so he is one of the guys sleeping in. He played 36 holes and drove the ball
magnificently having only missed 5 fairways in two rounds. He didn’t make a bogey in his opening round of -3 67, and he made only one in his -1 69. As usual he is making it look easy, but having came close to winning four majors, including last year's 3 putt from 12 feet to lose at Chambers Bay, we are all waiting to see if he can break through.
Lee Westwood played only one round yesterday, it was -3 67 so he is 2nd with round two to go.
At -2 Sergio Garcia and Scott Piercy both shot 68, 70. Sergio finished his 36 hole day with a 55 footer to save par and he played with DJ and had this to say about his play.
"He played awesome, it’s impressive. He drove the ball great, very far. I don’t think he missed many fairways at all. Out of 36 holes here at Oakmont with only one bogey, it shows you have to play really, really well. He’s going to be tough to beat, but I’ll give it a shot"
The stars of the show, Rory, Jason, Jordan, Rickie and Phil are all struggling to varying degrees early on
McIlroy had his US Open worst opening round with a 77 and will need to drive and putt the ball much better today. Day shot 76 but has played 16 holes of his second round at -1 when he starts again this morning to sit right on the cut line of +5. Jordan Spieth opened with +2 72 but has 18 to play today.
Mickelson opened with 74 but is at +3 through 16 holes so it looks like he won't be around for the weekend. Rickie's game has gone off the boil, he opened with 76 but has 18 holes to play to make up for that today.
Justin Rose is at +7 with only 2 holes left to play in his second round this morning, so like I said the field is very disjointed, the picture will become clearer when the cut is made early this afternoon.
Use the link abve to see where your favourite guy is and send me your comments as you follow along.
Play has resumed at 7.30am this morning at a very soft, soggy Oakmont CC , however the weather system that has brought inches of rain to the Pittsburgh area has moved on, and all but nine of the field have resumed or are ready to begin their first rounds.
There were 3 delays in all on Thursday, for what it's worth a 28 year old qualifier Andrew Landry has shot -4 66 to find himself atop the leaderboard.
With soft greens and fairways and little wind, the vaunted fast firm and running Oakmont will probably not show up until Sunday, so I expect players to take advantage of the scoring conditions, although the greens albeit soft are still fast and treacherous.
Rory and Danny Willett are at +4 through 15 holes and Jordan Spieth is at +2 through 14 and most of the late wave including Jason Day along with Phil Mickelson have yet to tee off.
So a long day lies ahead as they try and make up for lost time and get back on schedule. With average rounds on the PGA tour taking more than 5 hours it seems likely some of the late wave may have to finish their second rounds on Saturday morning.
After an inch of rain fell on Pittsburg and the surrounding area overnight, the first round of this US Open got underway under clear skies in calm conditions right on time at 645am (est) off the first and 10th tees.
update ***** The news you need to know this morning is the rain has made the greens 2 feet slower today than they has been in practice, and with another deluge forecast for this afternoon, the pins have been moved to higher spots on the greens.
The rough has been cut for probably the last time, the fairways are soft and holding so I think some of the fire has been taken out of Oakmont and guys who have the early, late wave starts have a big advantage. There should be some 66's out there this morning.
Phil Mickelson is making his 26th US Open start today on this his 46th birthday, at least he is scheduled to, as he is in the late wave and more rain is forecast. After the lead story which is the golf course and how the rain will affect it, he is the other lead story as he tries to become only the 6th man to complete the career grand slam. He is paired with Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose at 2.09 off #10.
In the early wave Rory McIlroy Danny Willett and Rickie Fowler are off #1 at 8.24 and typical of our media here in North America, Danny who only finished 2nd to Rory in last year's Race to Dubai, then oh yes came over here, just after the birth of his first son, and won the Masters is being treated with absolute disdain, just like Nick Faldo after he won the 1996 Masters that Greg Norman lost, or Geoff Ogilvy after he won the 2006 US Open at Winged Foot, the one that Phil Mickelson and Colin Montgomerie lost, or how about Micheal Campbell who was knighted in New Zealand for his US Open win at Pinehurst in 2005, the one that Tiger finished 2nd at.
He has been at the head of an unbelievable run of wins by English golfers around the world this year, he also won in Dubai back in February, Andrew Johnston won at Valderrama, Matt Fitzpatrick the Nordea Masters, and Chris Wood the BMW PGA and others, like former world #1's Luke Donald and Lee Westwoood have enjoyed a return to form and they are paired with Martin Kaymer at 8.13. Oh yes Kaymer won this tournament by 8 shots at Pinehurst in 2014.
There seems to be a storyline in there somewhere wouldn't you think... Not at all this week.
The traditional pairing of the US Open, US Amateur and Open Champion see's Jordan Spieth, Bryson DeChambeau and Zach Johnson are off #10 at 8.35 and I think this course is perfect for Johnson, with the emphasis on keeping the ball on the fairways.
The world #1 with 3 wins already this year including the Players Championship, Jason Day is paired with Louis Oosthuizen and Adam Scott off #1 at 2.20pm and they may not be able to get a full round in if the forecast is right.
I remember the late great Christy O'Connor looking out from the safety of the clubhouse at the rain and wind blowing over the old course at St Andrews, with more of the same in the forecast for the 1960 Open Championship saying " Give me 3 over par right now and I'll take it and run"
On Thursday the ninth edition of the US Open at historic Oakmont gets underway just outside Pittsburg, home of this year's Stanley Cup champions!!
There is rain in the forecast for Thursday and possibly Friday but this tough and traditional layout will play close to par in any conditions.
Craig Connelly is the 2014 Caddie of the Year and he was on the bag for Martin Kaymer when he won the US Open at Pinehurst that year and he also caddied for Paul Casey at Oakmont in 2007 and he had this to say to the europeantour.com about the test faciing the field this week
"The key is making sure you hit the fairways and give yourself a chance to then put your ball in a good spot on the green. Once you miss the fairway, you’re out of play. You’ve literally got no shot into the green. So you have to have a clear strategy and be able to accept a bogey is fine sometimes."
“Even if you find a lie, you’ll still struggle to find the green. The rough is not as bad as what I was expecting though and I actually believe it was worse nine years ago. Some spots you can get lucky, but you don’t have control of the golf ball from anywhere out of the rough, so getting up and down becomes very difficult.
Casey carded a second round 66 back in 2007, on a day when many of the sport’s big names were struggling to break 80, and the average score was close to 77.Amazingly, 154 of the 156 man field failed to break par that day.
“There are less trees here now than when I was here in 2007 with Paul. From 1994 to 2007 this place changed dramatically in the way it looks – I think they’ve taken every tree away. In terms of the actual golf course, it’s pretty much the same – tough!
The greens are expected to roll at around 14 on the stimpmeter, keep in mind Tiger Woods couldn't make one putt over 11 feet on them in 2007 when Angel Cabrera won with a final score of +5. The fairways are narrow and the rough is lush and here's what Rory McIlroy had to say about the course.
"It's a great test of golf. Every shot you hit, you're under pressure to hit a great shot because you can't really miss it. You have to get the ball in play.You just have to be so disciplined. I'm an aggressive player as well. So there's just going to be times where I'm going to have to rein it back a little bit"
Rory is paired with Danny Willett and Rickie Fowler at 8.25
There have been great champions at Oakmont, Ernie Els at won at -5 in a playoff in 1994, Larry Nelson edged Tom Watson by a shot in 1983, Johnny Miller won with -5 buoyed by a course record 63 at his peak in 1973 when Oakmont was a par 71, Jack beat Arnie in a 1962 playoff and Ben Hogan beat Sam Snead by 6 shots in 1953 when it was a par 72 with a score of 283.
Oakmont is described as the toughest test in golf, Jordan Spieth is the defending champion, Rory, Jason and all the rest of the world's best will begin their examination of this storied course tomorrow, and don't be surprised if it turns out to be the story at the end of Thursday's play.
AP...Daniel Berger won the FedEx St. Jude Classic for his first PGA Tour title, shooting a -3 67 to hold off Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker and Brooks Koepka by three strokes.
Mickelson and Stricker shot 67, and Koepka had a 66 in the round that was delayed three hours because of storms. Dustin Johnson had a 63, setting the back-nine record with a 29, to finish fifth at -9
The 23-year-old Floridian had had never been in a final pairing until Sunday. When Mickelson, with his 42 career PGA Tour titles, closed within a stroke, Berger birdied three of his next four holes, highlighted by a 32-foot putt on the par-3 14th that pushed his lead to 13 under.
Berger finished at 13-under 267. He became the 13th first-time winner on tour this season and took home the winner’s check of $1.1 million in the 50th start of his career.
David Hearn finished his week with 71 69 71 70 +1 T41
AP...Bernhard Langer won the Constellation Senior Players Championship for the third straight year, holing a 12-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a one-stroke victory at windy Philadelphia Cricket Club.
The 58-year-old German star won his seventh senior major title, his fifth in the last 11 majors, to tie Hale Irwin for second place on the career list, a victory behind Jack Nicklaus.
Langer closed with a 3-over 73 to finish at 1-over 281 the highest winning score in the history of the event first played in 1983 and he held off Miguel Jimenez and Joe Durant who each shot 68.
The lone Canadian Rod Spittle shot 76 77 71 72 to finish T61
Max Homa won the Rust-Oleum Championship for his second Web.com Tour victory, closing with a 5-under 67 for a one-stroke victory over Josh Teater and John Mallinger
"I’m happy with the way I played. I just got outplayed. For Brooke to shoot 65 on the final day at a major, at a course like this is very impressive.”
Those were the words of the world's #1, Lydia Ko who went out and posted a 67 in her quest for a third consecutive major championship, but in the story of the year here in Canada, Brooke Henderson got her 10th top 10 in 11 starts, but this time it was the break through win she so richly deserves, after she overcame a 3 shot deficit on the back nine as she closed with a bogey-free -6 65, the best round of the week at Sahalee to join Ko at -6-under 278 forcing a playoff which she won on the first hole.
At 18 she became the second-youngest winner in a major championship, with Ko the youngest last year in the Evian Championship in France, and she did it in style.
Remember she started the week with a hole in one on her way to a 67 for the first round lead then shot 73 73 in tough weather on this very tight Sahalee CC, to begin Sunday two strokes behind Ko.
She was playing great, going out in -2 but then came her eagle at the par 5 11th, which Ko followed with a birdie but Brooke kept the pressure on with a birdie at the 13th to stay one shot behind. "We needed to go on a birdie run or something so that sort of jump started us and we were able to keep going," said Brittany Henderson, her sister's caddie.
Then came another bomb from Brooke, a 50-foot birdie putt on the par 3 17th to Lydia's par and they were all square and stayed that way with pars on the 18th, forcing a playoff. She played the back nine in 31.
Playing the 18th in the playoff Henderson hit another solid drive, then her second shot from 155 yards was one she will always remember, under pressure to 3 feet, while Ko’s second left her with 20 feet. Ko missed to the left, and Henderson tapped in, to join Sandra Post as the only Canadian woman to win a major. Post's win came in 1968. Henderson will move to world #2 later this morning.
"To think about all of the incredible players that have come before me," Henderson said. "I was reading some of the names on this trophy and it's very, very cool."
It was a day of great drama, consider Ariya Jutanugarn, in search of a fourth straight victory, shot a 66 to finish a stroke back and she just missed a birdie putt on the 18th that could have put her into the playoff. She along with Lydia and Henderson played a combined 56 holes without a bogey between them, but this week no one was better than Brooke and there is much more to come as she summed it all up like this.
"Looking forward to the rest of the summer. There's still three major championships left. I'd like to get my name on all three of those,"
Ok, I have reported about Brooke Henderson leading the KPMG Women's PGA and you have the scores for Alena Sharp, Maude Aimee Leblanc and Samantha Richdale out at Sahalee CC in Seattle, here is a summary of other notables and remember you can check my blog from Thursday "Where the Canadians are this week" for live scoreboards for all of them.
Justin Shin is from Maple Ridge in BC., and has shot 71 70 70 -5 to sit T9 after 3 rounds, 5 shots off the lead. He T2 last week. Eugene Wong 72 70 74 E is T32
Sahalee CC is proving to be a very stern test for the best players on the LPGA tour, especially in heavy rain, wind and fall like temperatures. With only two holes playing under par on Friday the course is playing nearly 4 1/2 shots over par. So far this week the women have only managed 22 rounds under par..
At the top of the list stands Brooke Henderson who opened with that brilliant 67 and added a +2 73 in the worst of the afternoon weather to sit at -2, tied for the lead with Mirim Lee, just a shot ahead of Lydia Ko (70), Gerina Piller (69) and Brittany Lincicome (70), and they are the only five players under par after two rounds.
She was very steady with six straight pars, birdied the par3 17th, then bogeyed the 18th. She ended up with 4 bogey's and 2 birdies.
Speaking to the press after the round she summed it up like this " I got a little to aggressive early which led to bogey's but I regrouped and started to hit to the middle of greens which helped me score on the back nine. I hit a lot of good putts today that just didn't fall."
She received her new Ping Vault Oslo putter this week and had this to say about it. " I love it. I didn't make a whole ton today but every putt looked like it had a chance to go in which in kind of new for me and I really like it"
Regarding the wild weather..“Definitely growing up, springtime, fall-time weather was very similar to this and I think it gives me a little bit of advantage. But I like to think I’m a good player in all conditions. Maybe it runs in my favor a little bit.”
What about Lydia Ko lurking right behind her?.. "I don't necessarily think about that but I do see the names up there. I like to see mine at the top. It gives me a confidence boost. I'm a player to look a leaderboards to see who is behind me. "
Regarding her natural tendency to be aggressive.. " I like to pin hunt sometimes so it's hard for me to just hit to the centre but I think that's what you have to do here. To be tied for the lead after two rounds of a major is pretty cool but I know I didn't play my best today and so I'm looking forward to having a good strategy and being able to execute on Saturday.
Three-time defending champion Inbee Park playing with an injured thumb a day after wrapping up an LPGA Hall of Fame spot,shot an 79 yesterday and will miss the cut and probably take an extended break to recover. Thailand’s star, Ariya Jutanugarn, the winner of her last three tournaments, is at +3 after a 75 while Michelle Wie 78-80 is also heading home.
Of all the play on my Thursday leaderboard blog " Where the Canadians are this week" Brooke Henderson's 67 to top the KPMG Women's PGA Championship by 2 shots out in Seattle at the Sahalee CC goes down as the #1 highlight for me.
On a cool day with rain showers arriving for the afternoon wave Brooke and her sister (caddie) Brittany were out in the early wave off the 10th tee and she built her round getting to -3 on that nine, including the icing on the cake when she holed a 7 iron on the par 3 13th, her fourth hole of the day. The shot landed on the left edge of the green and followed the slope directly to the cup.
“It really helped out a lot and gave me momentum for the rest of the day,” she said afterwards and she made good on a promise, giving the Kia K900 she won to her sister!
She dropped two shots early on her back nine with wayward drives but rallied with birdies on three of her final four holes to take the two-shot lead. Remember she won on this west coast in Portland last year and has had 9 top 10 finishes this season without breaking into the winners circle.
“Making the turn I was a little shaky, hit a couple of bad drives. But I was able to scramble, get up-and-down a couple of times that really saved my round and then finished really strong.”
Other Canadian scores : Alena Sharp, Maude Aimee Leblanc +3 74 T49, Samantha Richdale +9 80 T129
Inbee Park finished her round at +1 72 and fell into the arms of her hero Se Ri Pak as she officially qualified for the PGA Hall of Fame.
Henderson leads American Christina Kim and another little South Korean, IK Kim who both had -2 69's in the worst of the afternoon weather. Rainy cool conditions are expected for the rest of the week..... what a surprise in Seattle...
Poised at -1 70 is the Thai star and winner of 3 events in a row Ariya Jutanugarn.
The LPGA Tour is in Sammamish, Washington at Sahalee, this week for their PGA Championship sponsored by KPMG, the US Open for men is next week which inevitably affects fields this week. The European Tour is in Austria for the Lyoness Open while the PGA Tour is down in Memphis for the FedEx St Jude Classic, and the Champions Tour has another major this week, the Constellation Senior Players in Philadelphia.
I'll also have coverage of the Web.com Tour and the PGA Tour Canada MacKenzie Tour with live scoreboards her for them all.
All the stars on the LPGA Tour have made the flight to Seattle and there are 4 Canadians in this championship field on the tough tree lined Sahalee course, Brooke Henderson, Alena Sharp, Maude Aimee LeBlanc and Samantha Richdale.
The top story going into today's play will be InBee Park who is after a record fourth straight KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and perhaps more importantly, with the completion of her opening round she will officially qualify as the 24th member of the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame.
At 27, Park has an incredible record with 17 professional victories, including seven major championships (3 KPMG Women’s PGA Championships, 2 U.S. Women’s Opens, one ANA Inspiration, one RICOH Women’s British Open.
This tour's hottest player, Thailand's Ariya Jutanugarn is also vying for her 4th straight win.
With Graham DeLaet away from the tour as he works on overcoming the yips, Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor taking the week off, it is David Hearn as the lone Canadian at TPC Southwind in Memphis.
The headline group is Dustin Johnson, Retief Goosen and Graeme McDowell, with veterans like Phil Mickelson, Ernis Els, and David Toms also showing up to add to a field that traditionally struggles for star power the week before the US Open.
Bernhard Langer defends this major championship and is after his 3rd tour win in a row, this week at a traditional layout, the Philadelphia Cricket Club. Many are picking Colin Montgomerie on this shot makers course this week, and our Canadian is Rod Spittle coming off a T32 last week in Iowa.
Spain's Adrian Otaegui fired three successive birdies before the turn to go out in 32 and added 4 more on the back for a -8 64 to take the clubhouse lead at the Lyoness Open powered by Sporthilfe Cashback Card at Diamond Country Club in Austria.
Chris Wood is the defending champion and he is coming off his biggest win, the BMW PGA Championship 2 weeks ago.
Seven Canadians are at the Ivanhoe Club in Chicago and they are Albin Choi, Taylor Pendrith, Ryan Yip, Adam Svensson, Roger Sloan, Ben Silverman and MacKenzie Hughes.
Rust-Oleum is based in Chicago and has signed a 3 year sponsorship deal. The Ivanhoe Club has 27 holes and the field will play 18 holes picked from the 3 different nines. There is water everywhere, the course is not long but very undulating, a shotmakers course.
This week the guys on the European Tour have been treated to the beautiful
Bro Hof Slott GC, long, with generous bent grass fairways, sloping greens and water in play on 12 of the holes. The weather in Stockholm has been sunny so far and the course is in spectacular condition.
Baby faced 22 year old English sensation Matthew Fitzpatrick, one of the new young guns vying for a Ryder Cup spot has shot 68 65 68 -15 to take a commanding 5 shot lead into today's 4th round as he looks for his 2nd Tour win.
Nicolas Colsaerts and defending champion Alex Noren are Fitzpatrick's closest challengers at -10 with the Swede seeking his third title in six years after an excellent 67.
Canadians Augusta James 72 65 -5 and Brittany Marchand 70 76 -5 are 3 shots off the lead going into today's final round in Albany NY, while Jennifer Kirby 68 70 is at -4.
The leader is an American Jackie Stoelting 67 67 -8.
Other Canadian scores Sara Maude Juneau 72 67 -2 T27, Elizabeth Tong 71 71 E. The other Canadian women missed the cut.
Billy Andrade broke the course record with a -9 63 for a share of the second-round lead with Joe Durant (65) and Todd Hamilton (67) in the PGA Tour Champions’ Principal Charity Classic, all at -10 134 at the Wakonda Club in Des Moines, Iowa.
John Daly's impact on this senior tour is obvious. There was a record opening-round crowd on Friday. He continues to draw huge galleries whatever he scores. Yesterday he shot his second straight 74 to drop to +4.
The lone Canadian Rod Spittle shot a -3 69, T37th.
Another crowd favourite Miguel Angel Jimenez shot 67 and is at -9 along with Tom Lehman (68), while last week's Senior PGA winner Rocco Mediate (67), Scott McCarron (68) and first-round leader John Inman (71) are all 2 shots back at -8.
Frenchwoman Karen Icher tied the course record with -9 62 to take a one shot lead at the Shoprite Classic, into today's final round at -12. She is looking for her first win.
Japan’s Haru Nomura has already won twice this year this year shot 66 while, South Korea’s Na Yeon Choi shot 64 and they are T2 at -11
Canadian scores : Samantha Richdale is T15 68,68 -6. Maude-Aimee Leblanc shot 66 72 -4 T27. Fourth-ranked Brooke Henderson is at -3 T36 after her -1 70 coming off a third-place tie last week in Ann Arbor, Michigan, her ninth top-10 finish of the year.
Anne-Catherine Tanguay also recorded a -1 70 T65, while Alena Sharp MC.
The starting times have been moved up this morning with players going off the 1st and 10th tees to try and beat the rain that has been falling in the GTA overnight scheduled to hit Dublin, Ohio mid afternoon.
The leaderboard is crowded with twenty players were separated by four shots with a lot at stake. Eight of them have never won on the PGA Tour.
With 6 birdies and an eagle Adam Hadwin posted a -5 67 to start today's play just one shot off the lead at -13 202 along with Emiliano Grillo (70), Jon Curran (68) and Dustin Johnson,(68). Adam had a share of the lead for a while and with rounds of 70 66 67 is in with a great chance for his first PGA Tour win. His current world ranking is #181.
David Hearn has shot 66 73 72 -5 T51st.
Matt Kuchar who won here 3 years ago wound up with a -2 70 to join Gary Woodland (69) and William McGirt (64) at -14 202 for the lead.
As for the so called Big 3, Jason Day who has never finished in the top 25 at the Memorial, finished with a double bogey for a 68 and is at -11 just 3 behind. Rory McIlroy shot a -2 70 209, 5 behind while Jordan Spieth is out of contention after a +2 74, 204 total.
Bulletin: Play has been suspended at 6pm due to lightning..
On a benign, warm humid day in Ohio, on Jack's immaculate Muirfield Village course, belied today by soft holding greens, Dustin Johnson led a day of low scoring with an overpowering -8 64 that included 10 birdies. You have to go all the way down to 80th place to find scores of even par 72.
World #1 Jason Day lives 20 minutes away, and he seems to me to be in the best form of the big 3. He was magnificent with a round of -6 66 playing in the late wave.
Playing earlier, Jordan Spieth putted the lights out making over 100' of putts and still only managed to shoot -2 70, while Rory McIlroy had 6 birdies and 4 bogey's on his way to -1 71
David Hearn had a great day with a -6 66 T3 which included an eagle and 5 birdies and a back nine of 31, while Adam Hadwin is at -2 70 T44
Brendan Steele is 2nd with a -7 65 while 5 players including Hearn and Day are at -6.
On Friday, host Jack Nicklaus is expecting the wind to pick up, and the greens to get firmer. Jason Day is playing early and could set the number for the day, while Rory and Jordan Spieth are in the late wave.
With news last night that Graham DeLaet has withdrawn from the Memorial Tournament to get help with what he is calling extreme anxiety over chipping/pitching here is my weekly post of where all the Canadians are playing this week with live leaderboards and storylines.
The main story here this morning as play gets underway is that the big 3 are all in the field coming off wins in there respective last outings.
Jordan Spieth and Rory are paired with Justin Thomas at 826am 10th tee, while Jason Day is playing with Jim Furyk and defending champion David Lingmerth at 116pm 1st tee.
Adam Hadwin 12.32 (10th tee) and David Hearn 1.27 (1st tee) are in the field.
Six Canadians are down in New Jersey this week. Lorie Kane, Maude-Aimee LeBlanc join Brooke Henderson, Alena Sharp, Samantha Richdale and Anne Catherine Tanguay.
With the 2nd major of the year the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship next week some of the top names are taking this week off. Ariya Jutanugarn, Lydia Ko and Inbee Park who has won that major for 3 straight years will not be playing this week.
Most Canadians go to the Dominican Republic on holiday, but for 7 of our pro golfers it will be business first starting with play this morning at this stunning resort.
Ryan Yip, Roger Sloan, Ben Silverman, MacKenzie Hughes, Albin Choi, Adam Svensson and Eugene Wong are all after that $112,000 first prize. Brad Fritsch is off recovering from injury.
By my count there are a whopping 15 young Canadian women in this field in Albany NY. Robyn Doig, Sabrina Sapone, Christina Foster, Anna Young, Jennifer Kirby, Maya Parsons, Jennifer Ha, Kyla Inaba, Elizabeth Tong, Megan Osland, Laura DeMarco, Brittany Marchand, Augusta James, Sara Maude Juneau and Vivian Tsui are their names.
