Augusta James, Jennifer Ha and Anne-Catherine Tanguay will comprise the women’s squad while Taylor Pendrith, Albin Choi and Corey Conners return to the men’s squad

OAKVILLE, Ont.  – Golf Canada is pleased to announce the six athletes—three female and three male—who have been selected to the 2017 Team Canada Young Pro Squad.

Comprising the team for 2017 is Augusta James (Bath, Ont.), Jennifer Ha (Calgary), Anne-Catherine Tanguay (Quebec City), Albin Choi (Toronto), Taylor Pendrith (Richmond Hill, Ont.) and Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.).

The focus of the Young Pro Squad—now in its fourth year—is to bridge the gap for top-performing amateurs transitioning into the professional ranks. Since the inception of the Young Pro Squad in 2014, current and former team members have accounted for 26 wins across various professional golf tours including LPGA Tour and PGA Tour wins by program graduates Brooke Henderson and Mackenzie Hughes respectively.

“These dedicated athletes are a strong reflection of Canada’s commitment producing winners at all levels of golf and we are proud to continue supporting these aspiring professionals,” said Golf Canada Chief Sport Officer and interim CEO Jeff Thompson. “The support we’ve received from our sponsors and partners has helped the Young Pro initiative achieve remarkable results in a relatively narrow time frame and we look forward to further strides in 2017.”

Heading up the female contingent is long-standing Team Canada member Augusta James, who enters her sixth year as part of Team Canada. The 23-year-old looks to continue her ascension through the professional ranks as she embarks on a third consecutive Symetra Tour campaign. The former Canadian Women’s Amateur champion finished just outside the top-10 on the money list for a second straight year to narrowly miss out on qualifying for full status the LPGA Tour. James enters 2017 with partial status on the LPGA Tour and full playing rights on the Symetra Tour where she won the 2015 Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial Classic.

“Team Canada has been a huge supporter of my career since the beginning and I’m thrilled to return to the squad,” said James, who currently ranks fifth among Canadians on the Women’s Rolex World Golf Rankings. “I’ve developed very close relationships with Tristan (Women’s Team Coach Tristan Mullally) and the support staff and I’m looking forward to more success in 2017.”

Joining James on the Women’s Young Pro Squad is Calgary’s Jennifer Ha, the lone Canadian to earn full LPGA Tour status via qualifying school. The 22-year-old recorded a T8 result at Daytona Beach to earn priority LPGA Tour status for the entirety of the 2017 season. She joins the LPGA Tour on the heels of a Symetra Tour season highlighted by T7 finish at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship. Ha is also no stranger to the Team Canada program; she was member of the Amateur Squad from 2014-15 and Development Squad in 2013.

“I’m grateful to officially have Golf Canada back in my corner once again,” said Ha, a graduate of Kent State. “I’m taking on some new challenges in 2017 and the support of the Young Pro program will be a huge boost in helping to achieve my goals.”

Rounding out the women’s team is Quebec City native Anne-Catherine Tanguay, also a graduate of Team Canada’s Amateur Squad program. Tanguay, 26, joins the team on the strength of a season that featured five top-20 finishes, good for No. 61 on the Volvik Race to the Card money list. The Oklahoma State alumna joins Ha as first-year members of the Young Pro Squad.

On the men’s side, all three members make their return to the Young Pro Squad in 2017.

Taylor Pendrith, 25, earned two top-25 finishes on the Web.com Tour in 2016 to finish at No. 107 on the money list. The Kent State alumnus is a season removed from finishing third on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada Order of Merit as one of five athletes to graduate onto the Web.com Tour. Pendrith will look to make strides on the Web.com circuit in 2017 where he holds conditional status.

“Having the Young Pro program so invested in my future success is very humbling,” said Pendrith. “I’m so happy to have all the guys back and am thankful for the continued coaching and advice from Derek (Men’s Team Coach Derek Ingram) and the sport science team.”

Albin Choi, a member of the Young Pro Squad since its inception, will return for a fourth year representing Team Canada in the professional ranks.

Choi recorded three top-10 finishes on the Web.com Tour in 2016 to finish the year at No.69 on the money list. Entering his eighth year with the Team Canada program, the 24-year-old former Canadian Men’s Amateur champion has full status on the Web.com Tour this season.

“I’m thrilled to have been involved with the Team Canada program for most of my career—it’s almost like a family now,” said Choi. “The Young Pro Squad has been such a huge help for my maturity as a professional athlete and I can’t wait to make great strides once again in 2017.”

Rounding out the male contingent is Listowel, Ont., native Corey Conners. In 2016, the 25-year-old recorded eight top-10’s on the PGA Tour Latinoamérica to finish inside the top-10 (No. 6) on the money list, granting him partial Web.com Tour status. Conners also added a runner-up finish at the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel, a Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada event.

“Knowing that I always have that strong support system in place for me when I need it is a very reassuring thought,” reflected Conners, who recently finished T5 at Web.com Tour’s Bahamas Great Exuma Classic event. “I’m extremely excited for this upcoming season and to reconnect with the Team Canada family for my seventh year.”

Men’s National Squad coach Derek Ingram and Women’s National Team coach Tristan Mullally—both PGA of Canada Ben Kern Coach of the Year recipients—will provide coaching to their respective Young Pro athletes. In addition to funding and coaching support, the athletes will have access to Team Canada’s sport science staff which includes Psychologist Dr. Adrienne Leslie-Toogood and Physiotherapist & Strength Coach Greg Redman.

“I’m proud to see these young athletes further their progress through the professional ranks as they build upon their careers,” said Gary Bernard, Chief Executive Officer of the PGA of Canada. “The commitment Golf Canada has shown in collaborating with the PGA of Canada in our world class teaching and coaching certification programs is another example of the organization’s overall commitment to the game of golf in Canada.”

The program was developed in partnership with the PGA of Canada and is funded in large part by the Golf Canada Foundation with generous contributions from founding partners Canadian Pacific and RBC, as well as supporting partners Citi Canada, Bear Mountain Golf Club and the Golf Canada Foundation Women’s Fund.

“On the verge of our fourth year of support, driving funds for the Young Pro Squad program will continue to be very high on the Foundation’s priority list,” said Golf Canada Foundation CEO Martin Barnard. “We’re very proud of what the program has been able to accomplish thus far, and we anticipate future success in developing the next generation of professional Canadian golfers to inspire our youth.”

Throughout the season, Golf Canada will closely monitor the performance of elite Canadian amateurs transitioning to professional golf with the possibility of program expansion.

Click here to read Team Canada Young Pro Squad player bios.

GREAT ABACO, Bahamas – Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Corey Conners collected a second consecutive top-10 Web.com Tour finish on Wednesday at the Great Abaco Classic.

Conners, 25, closed the event with a 6-under 66 for the day’s low score, boosting the Listowel, Ont., product up nine spots into a share of seventh for the tournament. The Kent State graduate finished at 9-under par overall (73-68-71-67), seven strokes back of champion Andrew Landry of Port Neches-Groves, Tex.

Conners’ recent performance on the Web.com Tour makes a strong case for extended status throughout the season; he is currently exempt in the first eight events. After this week’s result, Conners sits No. 6 on the Web.com Tour money list with $41,250.

Fellow Canadians Justin Shin and Albin Choi also made the cut in the Bahamas. Shin, a Team Canada graduate, finished with four straight even-par rounds to end up tied for 44^th. Toronto’s Choi, also a Young Pro Squad member, struggled in Wednesday’s final with an 80 (+8) to slip 43 spots into a tie for 56^th.

Click here for full scoring.

Five Canadians will be among the 108 competitors kicking off the LPGA Tour season on Thursday in the Bahamas for the fifth edition of the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic.

The event will be the debut of 14 rookies, including Calgary’s Jennifer Ha, who earned full status in December with a T8 result at Qualifying School. Fellow Canadians Brooke Henderson, Alena Sharp, Maude-Aimee Leblanc and Augusta James are also scheduled to begin their seasons in the Bahamas.

“Yeah, actually I didn’t intend on putting the clubs away for as long as I did, but I think a break is good considering how busy it was last year and I just really enjoyed the rest and relaxation,” Henderson said with a smile. “So right after seeing me we spent a few weeks in Florida and just kind of vacationed a little bit in the sun,” Henderson said. “And then we went back home for a month where it was snowy and cold, we built snowmen, went to tons of hockey games, and just enjoyed seeing friends and family at home.  The last few weeks we went back down to Florida to practice and train and get ready for the season where, you know, practicing just a few little things that I wanted to be a little bit better at this year.”

The break did Henderson good as she enters 2017 motivated to build on an impressive 2016 season where she won twice including her first major at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

“You know, I’d love to get a few more wins and move my world ranking up a little bit. Being number two last year, you know, and then slipping back to eight kind of    it’s a good feeling to be number two so I’m trying to get back there and repeat that.”

The process of trying to climb back up the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings begins tomorrow for Henderson at the Ocean Club.

“You know, this course looks a lot different than it has,” Henderson admitted. “I actually played two years ago too.  I won the money qualifier, but it looks a lot different and looks a lot more scoreable. I think I was a little bit intimidated by it.  But it looks like if the wind stays down a lot of birdies can be made and a low score. So hopefully everything goes my way this week and I get a Top 10 or finish high.”

Rounding out the Canadian contingent is Quebec’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay, who Monday-qualified with a 71 to join the field.

In 2016, Hyo Joo Kim captured her third title on the LPGA Tour with a final round 7-under par, 66 to win at 18-under par, two-strokes ahead of Stacy Lewis, Anna Nordqvist and 2015 champion Sei Young Kim.

Click here for tournament information.

CARLSBAD, Calif., – Today Callaway Golf (NYSE: ELY) announced that it has reached a Staff Pro agreement with LPGA Tour star Michelle Wie. In addition to being one of the most popular players in the sport, and of its greatest phenoms ever, Wie has been one of the most accomplished players on the LPGA since joining the Tour full-time in 2009.

A 27-year-old Hawaii native, Wie has been in the spotlight since the age of 10, when she became at the time the youngest player to qualify for a USGA amateur championship. At 13, she became the youngest player ever, male or female to win a USGA adult event at the 2003 Women’s Amateur Public Links and the youngest player to ever make an LPGA cut. At 14, she became the youngest female ever to play in a PGA Tour event at the Sony Open, and at 16 she turned professional. Despite being one of the most recognized players in the game already, Michelle chose to attend Stanford University in addition to competing professionally.

Since playing full-time on the LPGA Tour, Wie has won 4 times, highlighted by her major victory at the U.S. Women’s open, been among the top-ranked players in the world, and competed on 4 U.S. Solheim Cup teams. She’s also known for being one of the longest hitters on the Tour, and one of its biggest stars both inside the ropes and while engaging her fans through social media.

“Joining Callaway feels like a natural partnership,” Wie said. “I believe that they make the best equipment in golf, and that their clubs are really going to help me have a great year. I also admire how they make the game fun and accessible to fans, and make them feel like they are part of the experience. That’s something that’s really important to me.”

As a Full Callaway Staffer, Michelle will use Callaway clubs, balls and an Odyssey Putter.

Wie will add to Callaway’s tremendous group of talented young players, a list that includes Patrick Reed, 2016 Masters Champion Danny Willett, Wes Bryan, Ollie Schniederjans, Ryo Ishikawa, Branden Grace, Thomas Pieters, and Daniel Berger, whoofficially joined the company as a Tour Staffer this week.

VAUGHAN, Ont. – Golf Town, Canada’s number one destination for golf gear, apparel and services, has announced today a three year endorsement deal with LPGA Canadian professional golfer Brooke Henderson. The 19 year old, now ranked No. 8 in the world, quickly rose to prominence in 2016 with fifteen top 10 finishes, and three LPGA Tour victories including her first major; the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

“I’m so excited to be able to partner with Golf Town and act as an ambassador for them both on and off the course,” said Brooke Henderson. “Growing up, my family would always stop at Golf Town’s around the country to pick up golf gear when I played in junior tournaments, so it will be really fun to head back there as a professional.  We have some great customer events and in-store visits planned and I’m very thankful for the partnership!”

The agreement includes intellectual property rights, Golf Town branding on Henderson’s touring bag, in-store appearances as well as digital and social media content.

“We are excited to partner with one of the most iconic Canadian golfers,” said Chad McKinnon, President of Golf Town. “Our partnership is based on shared values; inspiring more young Canadians to get into the game. Brooke is our first sponsored athlete and there is a reason behind this. While Brooke is a very committed athlete, she’s accessible, refreshing, and connects emotionally with a younger audience. Working closely with Brooke will support our brand transformation and grow the game of golf in Canada.”

This announcement is the first in a series to come from Golf Town, which has recently come under new ownership and management and is strategically rebuilding its presence in Canada.

Here’s the new logo on the bag as well! #readyfor2017 pic.twitter.com/LFsPBiRLUO

— Brooke Henderson (@BrookeHenderson) January 24, 2017

LOS ANGELES – Tiger Woods is roaring into the new year, preparing to play four times in five weeks in his return to the PGA Tour after a 15-month absence. One of his stops includes a return to his hometown tournament in Los Angeles, where he made his first start on the pro tour as a skinny 16-year-old.

Woods has stayed away from Riviera, which hosts the newly renamed Genesis Open next month, since 2006. He loves the venerable course nestled in a posh residential neighbourhood overlooking the Pacific Ocean, but has never won there.

And that led him to avoid it.

“I’ve just never played it well,” he said Monday as occasional rain pelted the already soggy course. “That’s the only reason.”

Woods debuted at Riviera in 1992 on a sponsor’s exemption. The teenager from nearby Orange County shot 72-75 to miss the cut.

“I felt fine on that first tee but as I took the club back, I never felt nerves like that,” he recalled. “I was skinny. I looked like a 1-iron. I didn’t weigh a lot. I had a lot of speed.”

Woods birdied his first hole and thought to himself: “That’s how you want to start off your PGA Tour career.”

On his second hole, his shot smacked a fence and before long the teenager was 17 shots behind Davis Love III after 36 holes. Love eventually lost in a playoff to Fred Couples.

“I have so far to go,” Woods recalled thinking. “I’m not that good.”

But by 1997, he was Masters champion and well on his way to winning 79 PGA Tour career titles.

“Twenty-five years later, here we are,” said Woods, whose best finish at Riviera was a tie for second in 1999.

From the end of 1999 to early 2000, Woods either won or was runner-up in 10 of 11 PGA events.

The exception was Riviera, where he tied for 18th.

The last time he played Riviera was in 2006. Woods was among those who got caught out in the rain without an umbrella. He made the cut on the number, but then withdrew the next morning because of the flu.

Although Riviera is considered his hometown tournament, Woods is partial to Torrey Pines near San Diego, where he’ll start his season on Thursday in the Farmers Insurance Open. He’s won that tournament seven times along with a U.S. Open playing on a bad knee at the La Jolla course.

Woods will be testing his surgically repaired back starting at Torrey Pines. Next week, he’ll jet to Dubai for an event before returning to Los Angeles for the Feb. 13-19 Genesis Open and then playing the Honda Classic in Florida. A lot of travel in a short time for the 41-year-old.

“If my back feels good, I know I can prepare enough and I know I can play,” he said. “I need to have my health at a state where I can prepare. When I feel that way, I know I can shoot scores and win golf tournaments.”

Plagued by injuries after his first back surgery in 2014, Woods had two more surgeries in the fall of 2015 and didn’t play again until his Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas last month. He finished 15th in the 17-man field.

“I just need to get out there and do it,” Woods said. “I feel like I’m strong enough, I can handle the workload. Feeling good about it and doing it are two different things.”

Three weeks into the new year, Woods already has the Masters on his mind.

“I would love to play and I would love to win,” he said. “I’m hoping I can get everything right, so yes, I’m looking forward to it.”

A routine putt had Adam Hadwin rattled.

All that stood between the Canadian golfer and a third-round score of 59 at the PGA Tour’s CareerBuilder Challenge on Saturday was three-foot putt on the 18th hole. A shot that he’s made time and time again over his golf career suddenly seemed daunting with history on the line.

“It’s amazing that it came down to that one putt basically. I was extremely nervous, I was shaking,” Hadwin said Monday. “The first thought that entered my mind was, ‘don’t miss,’ and the second thought was that I had done it thousands of times and I just needed to it once more, and finish off the good round.”

Hadwin made the shot, becoming just the eighth golfer, and first Canadian, to shoot a round below 60 on the PGA Tour.

Hadwin’s previous lowest round in competition was 62 at a Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada event early in his pro career. He admitted he was thinking about history and doing the math in his head on Saturday.

“You don’t get into that rhythm or mindset very often,” he said. “It didn’t seem to matter what I did. If I was putting from eight, 10, 16, or 20 feet, I made everything.”

Hadwin ended up second at the CareerBuilder Challenge, earning just over US$626,000. He said celebrations were muted after his historic round as he knew he was entering Sunday’s final 18 with a chance to win a PGA title.

“I had dinner and went to bed, the same thing I did all week,” Hadwin. “My father is down here, my fiancee travels with me, and I had my godfather here. We went home, had some steaks and a glass of wine with dinner. Nothing changed.”

Hadwin nailed a lengthy birdie putt on the 17th hole Sunday to come into the final hole of the tournament just one shot back of the lead. But couldn’t convert a birdie on the 18th as Hudson Swafford captured his first PGA Tour title.

Hadwin knocked in a tricky shot for par to secure second place and his highest payday on Tour.

This was the second year in a row Hadwin was in the final group at the CareerBuilder Challenge. He said he feels comfortable playing golf in the desert and is familiar with the courses in La Quinta, Calif.

He also said the Canadian fan support was special.

“There was a lot of support, and I think it helped. It made me feel pretty good about what I was doing, and it definitely adds to my confidence,” he said.

There will be time for more celebrations soon. Hadwin and his partner Jessica Dawn will be married in March at a ceremony in Phoenix. He proposed in May in a game of hangman, spelling out “Will you marry me” in blank spaces as the puzzle’s solution.

“Everything is coming together, but I’m going to take zero credit for everything so far,” he said with a laugh.

Hadwin has been on the PGA Tour since 2015 after he won twice on the Web.com Tour circuit and earned full status thanks to his position on the money list. His previous best finish on the PGA Tour was a tie for fourth at the 2011 RBC Canadian Open at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver, about an hour away from where he grew up in Abbotsford, B.C.

He said his result Sunday is going to be good for his confidence this season.

“The first couple of days I felt like I was playing pretty well. But to make everything on Saturday and have one of those days, it got me back into the tournament and I created a little history in the round as well,” he said. “I was happy to be in this position early in the year. It sets me up for future events, shows I can compete, hang in there, and have a chance to win golf tournaments.”

Hadwin is back in the PGA Tour field this week at the Farmers Insurance Open along with fellow Canadians Graham DeLaet, Brad Fritsch, Mackenzie Hughes, and Nick Taylor. This week also marks the return of Tiger Woods to the PGA Tour for the first time since August 2015.

In some cases, I feel that we don’t talk enough about Stanley Thompson. Now this could be because the man was a legend and legends can have books upon books written about them – and even in this day of age, blogs upon blogs written about them. This is the case for this particular blog.

For those of you who might not recognize the name, Stanley Thompson, he was the golf course architect in Canada.  Yes, he did design golf courses outside of Canada but for a man to have completed 145 designs from 1920 to 1952, in a time when travel wasn’t as easy as it is today, this is the stuff of legend.

And it isn’t just because the golf courses he designed were great in quantity, they were great because of the thought and care he took in utilizing the surrounding landscape in “forming” a hole.

I have been lucky enough to play Banff Springs (personally my favorite Thompson course – but I have been told that this is because I have yet to play Jasper) and I was in complete awe of each and every hole. Thompson’s bunkering is unparalleled.

For those of you who have yet to be fortunate enough to play a Thompson design, I will liken it to this – picture yourself at the tee box looking down at the ball (easy), you look up and you see the trees that line the fairway and up in the distance you see the green guarded by mounds (medium), but then bunkers jump out at you and suddenly the bunkers seem to get bigger and bigger and the bunkers seems to angling towards you like a catchers mitt trying to catch your ball (THOMPSON DIFFICULT).

Recently a gentleman walked into the museum and he had a self-portrait of Stanley Thompson in his hand, which was also autographed. My heart skipped a beat. This man, Scott was his name, told me how his grandfather was the greenskeeper at Jasper for over 30 years and this self portrait was given to him by Stanley, because not only was he a greenskeeper at Jasper, he was a foreman in helping build Banff. That man’s name was Jack Milligan. You may be able to find a few references to him but here is a great one written by Ian Andrew.

Scott was generous enough to loan this framed piece to us for use in the small Stanley Thompson exhibit that we have in the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum. Although small in size, it is a fantastic piece. When I forwarded a picture of it to Ian Andrew he said it was “perhaps the best (Thompson) signature I have ever seen.”

I would like to thank Scott for allowing us to put this piece on display and I look forward to learning more about his grandfather’s personal archives.

PS – Did I also mention that his mother was Rae Milligan, the same woman who competed on multiple international teams with Marlene Streit and Margaret Todd.

LA QUINTA, Calif. – Hudson Swafford a réussi trois oiselets consécutifs avant de terminer sa ronde avec une normale et il a signé une première victoire sur le circuit de la PGA en remportant le Défi CareerBuilder, dimanche.

Swafford a inscrit un score de 67 (moins-5) sur le parcours Stadium pour conclure le tournoi à trois parcours à moins-20. Adam Hadwin, d’Abbotsford, en Colombie-Britannique, a terminé à moins-19

à la suite d’une ronde de 70. Samedi, Hadwin avait signé seulement la neuvième carte de 59 ou moins de l’histoire de la PGA, en jouant 59 à La Quinta.

Brian Harman et Bud Cauley ont tous deux inscrit des scores de 69 pour terminer à égalité au troisième rang à moins-18.

Swafford a rejoint Cauley en tête en calant un roulé de 12 pieds pour un oiselet au 15e trou, puis il s’est détaché avec des oiselets aux 16e et 17e trous.

Au 16e trou, une normale-5, Swafford a envoyé un coup de bois-3 à 12 pieds de la coupe _ évitant la profonde fosse de sable qu’il avait visitée la veille en route vers un double boguey _ et il a eu besoin de deux roulés pour inscrire un oiselet et prendre les commandes. Au 17e trou, une normale-3 avec un vert sur une île surnommée “Alcatraz”, il a envoyé son coup de départ à un pied et demi de la coupe. Hadwin a cependant calé un roulé de 25 pieds pour rester à un coup de Swafford.

Hadwin a toutefois envoyé son coup de départ dans l’herbe longue au 18e trou, ne pouvant vraiment appliquer de pression sur Swafford. Les deux hommes ont inscrit des normales et Swafford a pu célébrer son premier triomphe en 93 tournois en carrière.

Nick Taylor, d’Abbotsford, a inscrit un pointage de 69 pour conclure le tournoi à égalité au 34e rang à moins-9. David Hearn, de Brantford, en Ontario, a joué 73 pour aboutir à égalité au 58e rang à moins-6.