David Hearn moves into lead at Canadian Open

David Hearn moved into position to become the first Canadian to win the Canadian Open in 61 years, taking a two-stroke lead over Bubba Watson and Jason Day on Saturday.

Hearn, from Brantford, birdied the par-three 15th and par-five 16th, but dropped a stroke on the par-4 17th and closed with a par for a four-under-par 68 and a 15-under 201 total at Glen Abbey in Oakville.

“This is something you dream of,” Hearn said. “I feel like I’m ready to step up to the challenge.”

Pat Fletcher, born in England, was the last Canadian winner in 1954 at Point Grey in Vancouver, British Columbia. Carl Keffer is the only Canadian-born champion, winning in 1909 and 1914. Albert Murray, a Canadian also born in England, won in 1908 and 1913.

Hearn and Watson will play in the final group Sunday. Hearn sees himself as the underdog.

“Hopefully, I can make some birdies and David can beat Goliath,” Hearn said.

Watson called himself “half-Canadian” because wife Angie is from Pickering.

“Truthfully, let’s be honest, we don’t think about where somebody’s from,” Watson said. “All we think about is there’s a guy in front of us. I’ve got a couple family members. They’re going to pull for me, too.”

Hearn is the first Canadian to have a 54-hole lead at the Canadian Open since Mike Weir in 2004 at Glen Abbey. Weir led by three shots, but lost in a playoff to Vijay Singh.

Salas has four-shot lead at LPGA Classic

Lizette Salas shot a seven-under 64 to take a four-stroke lead in the Meijer LPGA Classic, putting her in position for her second tour title.

The 26-year-old former USC player birdied Nos. 14-16 and closed her bogey-free round with two pars. She had a 16-under 197 total at Blythefield Country Club in Belmont, Mich.

Salas had shares of the lead after each of the first two rounds, also opening with a 64 and shooting a 69 on Friday. The 2013 U.S. Solheim Cup player won the 2014 Kingsmill Championship.

Salas birdied three of the first four holes and added another at the par-4 ninth hole to pull in front. After saving par with a 25-foot putt at 13, she hit a shot inside two feet at the par-three 14th for birdie and followed with a six-footer at 15 and a 30-footer at 16.

Lexi Thompson and Michigan native Kris Tamulis were tied for second. Tamulis, whose family still summers in Northern Michigan, shot 67. Thompson had a 68.

Thompson, tied for the second-round lead with Salas and Alison Lee, missed a 4-foot putt and made bogey at 16, but birdied the par-four 18th with athree-footer.

Lee had a 70 to drop into a tie for fourth at six under with Brittany Lincicome (65), Caroline Masson (65), So Yeon Ryu (65), Katie Burnett (66) and Gerina Piller (69).

Top-ranked Inbee Park, a three-time winner this year, had five birdies in a six-hole stretch and finished with a 66 to move into a tie for 10th at five under.

Montgomerie shares clubhouse lead at Senior British Open

Colin Montgomerie shares the clubhouse lead with little-known American Marco Dawson on 10-under par, with nine holes of their third round still to play in the Senior British Open.

Poor light suspended play, five hours after the delayed start to the round at Sunningdale, England. The second round, suspended on Friday because of rain, wasn’t completed until Saturday mid-afternoon.

At that stage, Dawson led on eight under, a shot clear of defending champion Bernhard Langer. Montgomerie was on six under alongside Fred Couples, Jeff Sluman, Miguel Angel Jimenez, and Peter Fowler.

The late start to the third round, and with 83 players making the cut, meant play began on the first and 10th tees at Sunningdale Old Course.

Couples, the champion at Turnberry in 2012, was at eight under and in a share of third place with Ireland’s Philip Walton.

More rain was forecast on Sunday.

Barbaree wins U.S. Junior Amateur title

Philip Barbaree rallied to win the U.S. Junior Amateur, beating Andrew Orischak on the 37th hole after overcoming a late five-hole deficit.

The 17-year-old Barbaree, from Shreveport, La., won the par-five 29th and par-four 30th with birdies and the par-four 32nd and 33rd holes with pars to pull within a hole on Colleton River Plantation Club’s Pete Dye Course. He squared it with a birdie on the par-four 36th and won with a bogey on the par-four 37th.

The 16-year-old Orischak is from nearby Hilton Head Island.

Barbaree finished off his semifinal match in the morning, winning the 18th with a par for a 1-up victory over South Korea’s Won Jun Lee. They were tied after 17 holes Friday when play was suspended because of darkness in the weather-delayed tournament.

Orischak advanced to the final Friday, beating Eugene Hong of Sanford, Florida, 3 and 2.

Barbaree and Orischak earned spots in the U.S. Amateur next month at Olympia Fields in Illinois.

Fitzpatrick, Willett tied at European Masters

English golfers Matthew Fitzpatrick and Danny Willett will carry a two-shot lead into the final round of the European Masters at Crans Montana, Switzerland.

Willett started the third round with a one-shot lead, but had two bogeys and a double bogey in his first four holes. There were two more bogeys coming in, but a 30-foot eagle on the 15th limited the damage to a one-over 71.

He was at 12 under for the tournament with Fitzpatrick, the former U.S. Amateur champion who came through Q School to enjoy his first year on the European Tour. Fitzpatrick climbed into contention with a 64.

Four-time tour winner Raphael Jacquelin of France was third at 10 under thanks to a 68, and defending champion David Lipsky of the U.S. was alone in fourth at nine under after a 69, despite starting and finishing with bogeys. Patrick Reed (69), Sergio Garcia (66), and Lee Westwood (68) trailed by seven shots in a big group tied for 16th.

Pettersen has two-shot lead at Ladies Scottish Open

Suzann Pettersen shot a two-under 70 in windy conditions to take a two-stroke lead in the Ladies Scottish Open.

Pettersen, the Norwegian player ranked No. 7 in the world, had a six-under 138 total at Dundonald Links in Troon, Scotland, in the final Ladies European Tour before the Women’s British Open next week at Turnberry.

England’s Holly Clyburn was second after a 67.

Second-ranked Lydia Ko, tied with Pettersen for the first-round lead, had a 73 to drop to third at three under. England’s Laura Davies, recently inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, was tied for fourth at two under after a 71.