VICTORIA, Australia – National Squad members Hugo Bernard, Joey Savoie and Josh Whalen will be among the 78 elite amateur golfers competing in the 21st Australian Master of the Amateurs from Jan. 9-12 at Royal Melbourne Golf Club.

The Canadian trio will look to make their mark in their first competitive action of 2018 when the 72-hole stroke play event gets underway Tuesday. Savoie (La Prairie, Que.) will lead the contingent at 8:10 a.m. local time, followed by Bernard (Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que.) 8:40 a.m. and Whalen (Napanee, Ont.) at 12:20 p.m.

Defending champion and local native Charlie Dann will tee off at 11:50 a.m.

The 2018 Men’s Australian Master of the Amateurs champion receives exemptions into the 2018 Amateur Championship (UK), Porter Cup (USA), The Players Amateur (USA), and The Dogwood Invitational (USA).

For the first time in its 20-year history, the event will feature a female division with 21 athletes. The 2018 Women’s Australian Master of the Amateurs Champion will receive exemptions into the 2018 Women’s Western Amateur Championship (USA) and the 2018 Women’s Porter Cup Championship (USA).

The event marks the beginning of a popular two-tournament swing down under, which also includes the Australian Amateur in the week following.

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KAPALUA, Hawaii – A new year brought out the best in Dustin Johnson, who powered his way to an 8-under 65 and an eight-shot victory Sunday in the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

In a field that featured the top five players in the world, Johnson made a strong opening statement that the No. 1 ranking he has held for nearly a year might be difficult to take away.

Johnson stretched a two-shot lead to six strokes at the turn, then delivered the biggest moment of the week with a drive on the par-4 12th hole that stopped 6 inches from the cup for a tap-in eagle.

He finished at 24-under 268 for his 17th career victory.

“Plenty of horsepower here.”

Tracking … TRACKING … ?#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/kiqBRT3U81

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 8, 2018

Jon Rahm closed with a 69 to finish second and move to No. 3 in the world.

Canadian Adam Hadwin of Abottsford, B.C., closed with a 1-under 72 to finish the event in 32nd place (+2).

KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) — PGA champion Justin Thomas is using a television on-course reporter to caddie for him next week in Honolulu while his regular caddie recovers from a foot injury.

But not just any TV reporter.

He said he’ll be using Jim “Bones” Mackay at the Sony Open. Mackay spent 25 years with Phil Mickelson until they parted ways last summer. Mackay now works for NBC and Golf Channel walking the course. He was with the Dustin Johnson pairing on Saturday at Kapalua.

Jimmy Johnson has been dealing with plantar fasciitis and a tear for the last few months. He was in a boot for 10 days before arriving at Kapalua, but the severe terrain has taken a toll. He likely will be in a protective boot for at least a month. Thomas’ father, Mike, caddied for his son Saturday.

KAPALUA, Hawaii – Dustin Johnson has a long game and a short memory.

Johnson holed a 65-yard wedge shot down the hill and up the green for an eagle, and he powered his way to birdies on the par 5s at Kapalua for a 7-under 66 to build a two-shot lead over Brian Harman going into the final round at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

The world’s No. 1 player with a lead is a daunting prospect anywhere, especially on a course where he is a past champion (2013) and has posted 20 out of his 30 rounds on the Plantation Course in the 60s.

Hope for the players chasing him comes from Johnson’s most recent start on the PGA Tour.

That was just over two months ago at the HSBC Champions in Shanghai, where Johnson lost a six-shot lead at Sheshan International. Most peculiar about that day is Johnson still was up by three shots, didn’t miss a fairway on the back nine and still got beat.

Johnson says he didn’t even remember Shanghai until it was mentioned to him.

“Look, it was a long time ago,” he said. “It’s a completely different golf course. It was what? Two months ago or something? So yeah, I’m going to try not to think about it tomorrow. Hopefully, I won’t. But I just need to go out and play my game and just see what happens.”

✔️ DJ's wedge magic
✔️ Rahm and Rickie move into position
✔️ Close calls all day long#TheTakeaway pic.twitter.com/epNCyEsArM

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 7, 2018

Johnson seized control quickly Saturday at Kapalua.

Coming off his lone bogey – a poor chip after his tee shot went just over the back of the 11th green – he had 65 yards from fluffy rough, straight down the hill toward the Pacific to a green that was uphill but with the grain and the wind.

Johnson wasn’t sure how far it was, and that wasn’t really significant.

“I was looking just left of the flag, but short of the green,” he said. “I knew once it got on the green that it was going to be pretty good. And obviously, it went in. So that was definitely a nice bonus.”

The rest of his round was power golf. He drove pin-high on the reachable par-4 14th up the hill and into the wind to set up a simple chip-and-putt birdie. He had a short iron into the green on the par-4 15th to set up a two-putt birdie. He saved par with a 10-foot putt on the 17th and two putts for birdie on the 18th capped off his day.

Johnson was at 16-under 203.

Harman couldn’t keep pace, dropping two shots early on the back nine until a late rally for a 69 to stay within two shots. Harman began the day tied with Marc Leishman, who didn’t make a birdie until the 16th hole and wound up with a 76 to fall nine shots behind.

Jon Rahm made up a lot of ground quickly with a birdie-eagle-birdie burst on the scoring holes in the middle of the back nine. A final birdie gave the explosive Spaniard a 66 and left him within range at four shots behind.

Johnson and Rahm have a little history. Rahm nearly chased him down in Mexico City last year in a World Golf Championship, and then three weeks later pushed him to the 18th hole in the final of Match Play, which turned out to be Johnson’s third straight victory.

Rahm loves being in the mix with Johnson, even if the outcome hasn’t gone in his favour.

“Hopefully, I can play good down the stretch like I’ve been doing, just start a little better on the front nine,” Rahm said.

He did most of his damage on the three-hole stretch on the back nine where birdies are available. He just missed the reachable 14th and chipped to a foot for birdie, then hit his second shot on the par-5 15th to 8 feet for eagle, and holed a tricky 10-foot putt on the 16th.

Rahm will play in the penultimate group with Rickie Fowler, who shot a 68 to reach 11-under 208. Jason Dufner shot 69 and joined Fowler five shots behind.

Defending champion Justin Thomas spent more time with his father than he planned. Jimmy Johnson, his regular caddie, had a significant setback with his foot and will have to be in a protective boot for the next month. Thomas put his father to work. He had a pair of double bogeys over the last four holes, sandwiched between birdies, shot 75 and was 18 shots behind.

Jordan Spieth played with Rahm and never got much going in his round of 70, leaving him too far back.

Harman qualified for the Tournament of Championship by making a 30-foot birdie putt on the final hole to win the Wells Fargo Championship and avoid a playoff with Johnson and Pat Perez.

“I can’t control what Dustin does. He’s a fabulous player,” Harman said. “He’s going to be really hard to beat tomorrow, but trying to do something I’m not capable of is not the way to do it.”

Johnson will be going for his 17th victory on the PGA Tour dating to his rookie season 10 years. Johnson has failed to win just one year during his career, in 2014.

Canada’s Adam Hadwin sits at 3 over par for the tournament following a 74 (+1) on Saturday.

KAPALUA, Hawaii – Marc Leishman played bogey-free and was tied for the lead in the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Just don’t get the idea this is another example of an Australian doing well at Kapalua because he stayed sharp Down Under in December.

Leishman two-putted for birdie on the par-5 18th for a 4-under 69, giving him a share of the lead with Brian Harman (68) going into the weekend on the windy Plantation Course with 15 players separated by five shots.

Stuart Appleby once won three straight years at Kapalua. Geoff Ogilvy is the last player to win back-to-back. Both arrived in Maui having competed in either the Australian Masters, Australian Open or Australian PGA. Appleby did all three one year.

Leishman?

He’s played one time in the last 10 weeks. Well, one tournament, anyway.

“I went to Topgolf a couple of weeks ago,” Leishman said.

It was too cold to practice at his home in Virginia Beach, so he headed to the multi-tiered golf complex where points are scored for hitting at various targets, all while having a few beers and listening to live entertainment. Thankfully, he didn’t take his tour bag, just a half-dozen clubs in a tiny carry bag.

“I scored all right,” he said. “I remember the first time I went there, I didn’t realize there was a leaderboard at the front desk. I scored really high, and then all of a sudden all the people turn around and I’m having a couple of beers, just having fun.”

One patron said to him, “You’re pretty good with the tools.”

He has been pretty good in windy conditions at Kapalua. Leishman didn’t make as many birdies as he would have liked. His only one on the par 5s was the final hole. Even so, he joined Harman at 10-under 136 going into the weekend of this winners-only event.

Harman came on strong on the back nine, and picked up his third birdie in unlikely fashion. He was down the steep slope right of the green on the par-5 15th, and his first chip barely reached the green and rolled back down the hill. He chipped that one in for birdie, and then picked up his fifth birdie of the back nine on the 18th.

Dustin Johnson, with more experience than anyone at Kapalua, overcame a sluggish start for a 68 and was one shot behind, making him perhaps the strongest threat going into the final two rounds.

Johnson is making his eighth appearance at the Tournament of Champions. No one else in the 34-man field has played more three times. His 68 was the 19th time in 29 rounds that the world’s No. 1 player has shot in the 60s, and he has yet to have a round over par.

This was a challenge, at least early.

The wind laid down on his shot into No. 3, and it went long into fluffy rough, leaving him a downhill, downwind putt with the grain. He chipped that 30 feet by and made bogey. On the next hole, he caught a gust and made another bogey. On the par-5 fifth, he had a 7-iron for his second shot and made par.

And then he made seven birdies over the last 14 holes to get within one shot of the lead.

Pat Perez and Chris Stroud each shot 66, while Jhonattan Vegas had a 70. They were two shots behind.

Back in the mix was Jordan Spieth, who opened with a 75. Spieth didn’t have a lot going his way early with a poor club selection on the par-3 second hole and one that was even worse on the par-5 fifth. Spieth went into the hazard with this second shot and took bogey on the second-easiest scoring hole at Kapalua.

And then he couldn’t miss.

He has been working on his putting, trying to get it back to 2015 standards, and he walked in an 18-footer at No. 6 and knew his 12-footer at No. 8 was going to fall even before he stroked the putt.

“That’s a feeling I haven’t had in quite a while with the putter,” he said. “So a big step forward. A lot of progress today.”

Spieth chipped in for eagle from 70 feet on No. 9 and shot 66 to get within five shots of the lead.

Defending champion Justin Thomas took a step back. He hit one too many wayward shots and had a 41 on the back nine for a 75, dropping him 10 shots out of the lead.

The biggest challenge was putting in the gusts, especially on the greens high on the hill that are exposed.

“You’ve got grain, break, speed, wind. Very difficult,” Perez said. “I had trouble with all of them yesterday. Today, I was able to see more of the break. I was able to get the speed and the wind all together. It took me a full day. But it was good.”

Canada’s Adam Hadwin slipped with a 2-over par 75 to sit 12 back of the leaders mid-way through the tournament.

KAPALUA, Hawaii – Marc Leishman is having a much better time at Kapalua this year, on and off the golf course.

Leishman, coming off his best year with two PGA Tour victories that helped him become the highest-ranked player from Australia, made eight birdies in a strong wind Thursday on the Plantation Course for a 6-under 67 and a one-shot lead over Brian Harman and Jhonattan Vegas.

Only six players broke 70 in the opening round, a product of trade winds strong enough to cause players to back off putts.

There were a few other wild moments. Leishman thought he hit his tee shot out-of-bounds on the 14th hole, where the wind sent it sailing beyond the waist-high native grass. Just his luck, he wound up in someone’s backyard, and it wasn’t out-of-bounds. What he figured would be a double bogey off the tee became a par.

“Best break I’ve had all year,” Leishman said after the first round of 2018.

Rickie Fowler sent his approach to the 13th into the native grass, found it and took two hacks to get it onto the green, making double bogey. He bounced back with a pair of birdies and an eagle putt on the closing hole for a 69.

Dustin Johnson and Si Woo Kim also were at 69.

Adam Hadwin, the lone Canadian in the field, posted an even-par 73 to trail Leishman by six strokes heading into Friday’s second round.

Defending champion Justin Thomas hit his tee shot on No. 12 into the 13th fairway. That was the direction he took at the TPC Boston when he won a FedEx Cup playoff event last fall, but this wasn’t on purpose. He still did enough right for a 71.

Thomas played in the final group with Spieth, who wasn’t nearly as fortunate. Spieth had never shot over par in his previous 12 rounds at Kapalua. On Thursday, he had to get up-and-down from 167 yards on the downwind, downhill, par-5 18th just to salvage par for a 75.

He attributed it to adjustments he’s making with his putting stroke, trying to get it back to where it was a few years ago, and he needs more competitive rounds. That might explain his trio of three-putt bogeys.

Leishman had no such worries.

“It was nice to see some putts go in. Just gets the year off to a good start,” he said. “Hopefully, I can keep it going and see where we end up Sunday night.”

Leishman won the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March, and then ran away from the field at the BMW Championship during the FedEx Cup playoffs. It was a breakthrough for the 34-year-old Aussie, and it brought him back to Kapalua.

The last time was in 2013, when the wind was so strong that the opening round was scratched and the tournament did start until Monday, which was when it was supposed to finish. It was reduced to 54 holes. Leishman had a pair of 75s and tied for 23rd.

And that’s wasn’t even the worst of it.

“I remember I got food poisoning,” he said. “I threw up three times in the first five holes and they cancelled the whole day, so I was really happy. I remember spending a lot of time in a hotel room. Our son was almost 1 and we had the ‘Wiggles’ on repeat the whole week.”

• Rickie's Hawaiian shirt. ?
• Tiger's early schedule. ?
• Leishman's strong start. ?️??

It's all in The Takeaway. pic.twitter.com/t2mylP2g1B

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 5, 2018

That’s an Australian music group that plays children’s songs, with the subjects that Leishman couldn’t stomach.

“They’ve got a hot potato song. The have a fruit salad song,” he said. “So that was my main memory from the week. We didn’t get to spend any time at the pool. It was too dangerous, really. It was blowing the palm leaves off the trees. So we’re trying to make up for it this week, spending a lot of time at the pool and beach.”

He hasn’t neglected the golf.

The trade wind, typical for the Plantation Course but largely absent in recent years, made it play more difficult than usual. Leishman got into the mix with four straight birdies starting at the par-4 seventh with a 12-foot birdie putt. He made another medium-range birdie on the next hole, missed a 7-foot eagle putt on the par-5 ninth and then stuffed his approach on the 10th.

Johnson didn’t do anything special in his round of 69 and missed plenty of opportunities on the low side because the greens were slower than he anticipated. Thomas and Spieth, meanwhile, talked more about rust.

Thomas played the par-5s in even, thanks to a mental lapse on No. 9 when he failed to get it on the green with a flop shot. He three-putted from long range for par on the closing hole – long range at Kapalua meant about 110 feet just off the front of the green.

He played the final six holes in 2 under and was irritated he didn’t birdie them all from where he was.

“I didn’t play as bad as my score, so that’s what is a little disappointing,” Thomas said.

KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) — Tiger Woods is playing twice in California over the next six week as he begins another comeback on the PGA TOUR from back surgery.

Woods announced Thursday he will play the Farmers Insurance Open on Jan. 25 at Torrey Pines, the San Diego course where he has won eight times. That includes the 2008 U.S. Open, his 14th and most recent major.

He also says he will play the Genesis Open at Riviera in Los Angeles that starts Feb. 15. Riviera is where Woods played his first PGA Tour event as a 16-year-old amateur. He last played in 2006, though it now is back in play because the Tiger Woods Foundation runs the tournament.

Levelwear confirmed today that it has resigned Adam Hadwin to a multi-year deal and the PGA TOUR member will continue to be a global brand ambassador for their brand moving into 2018.

“I absolutely loved working with Levelwear last season to ensure that each week I was dressed with high-performance and top quality apparel that enabled me to continuously compete at the top level; I’m thrilled to continue to wear their apparel moving into this season,” says Hadwin. “The fact that I can not only work with a Canadian brand but feel great in their apparel week after week means a lot, and I look forward to playing in some new styles this season on TOUR.”

. @Levelwear, our apparel partners for the @RBCCanadianOpen & @CPWomensOpen, confirmed today that they’ve resigned @ahadwingolf to a multi-year deal as a global brand ambassador. pic.twitter.com/W1Hw2uVPPx

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) January 4, 2018

Hadwin had a breakout season during the 2016-2017 PGA TOUR campaign, making history at the CareerBuilder Challenge, becoming the 4th player in PGA TOUR history and first Canadian ever to shoot sub-60 on a par 72 course. Seven weeks after his impressive performance at the CareerBuilder, Hadwin then went on to capture his first PGA TOUR title at the Valspar Championship, defeating Patrick Cantlay in a tightly fought battle. To conclude his third season on TOUR, Hadwin earned a spot to compete in the Presidents Cup, making him the third Canadian in history to do so. Hadwin is in a great place right now both on and off the course, and hopes to continue this momentum into the 2017-2018 season.

Levelwear works with roughly 80 of the top 100 golf clubs in both Canada and the US, as well as continuously growing their portfolio of top tier golfers joining Adam Hadwin.

“We are thrilled Adam will be continuing to wear Levelwear on TOUR this season after his stellar performance last year. His attitude on and off the course reflects the core values Levelwear boasts internally and externally,” said Hilton Ngo, Levelwear’s CEO. “We can’t wait to further grow our relationship with him as he competes on TOUR this season and watch him continue to reach new heights.”

In March of 2017, Levelwear was named official apparel and headwear partner for the RBC Canadian Open and CP Women’s Open.

Levelwear has established enduring business verticals in licensed and team sports, golf apparel, and men’s and women’s lifestyle wear, with core strengths of innovation, decoration, and industry leading service. The company holds licensing partnerships with some of the top global brands, including the NHL and NHLPA, NBA and NBPA, 140 US Colleges, Hockey Canada and various soccer properties (Bayern Munich, Paris St. Germain, Juventus, Celtics, Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham, etc.) globally. At the PGA Merchandising Show in Orlando later in the month, Levelwear is unveiling its 2018 collection and the Insignia Program, a highly innovative logo treatment collection, that gives a rich gloss metallic like finish with custom embellishments. For more information, please visit www.levelwear.com.

It is with sadness and respect that Golf Canada and the Golf Canada Foundation extend sincere condolences to the entire Shaw family as well as to our friends at Shaw Communications on the passing of former CEO Jim Shaw who passed away on January 3, 2018.

“On behalf of Golf Canada, the Golf Canada Foundation and the Canadian golf community, we extend our most sincere condolences to Jim Shaw’s entire family and his many friends and colleagues with Shaw Communications,” said Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum. “The Shaw family and the team at Shaw Communications have been passionate supporters and promoters of the game of golf in their community. From their partnership with the RBC Canadian Open and deep philanthropic ties to the Golf Canada Foundation to their incredible vision in transforming the Shaw Charity Classic into a gold-standard charitable platform and so many other endeavours, the Shaw family has had an incredible impact on Canadian golf and our deepest thoughts are with them at this difficult time.”

The British Columbia golf community is mourning the passing of Harry White, a tireless promoter of junior golf who influenced the lives of countless youngsters and made an enormous contribution to the game.

White died Tuesday in Vancouver following a lengthy illness. He was 72. White was a longtime member of Marine Drive Golf Club in Vancouver and ran the Junior Linkster Golf Tour where kids as young as five years old learned the game.

“Nobody has given more to junior golf in Vancouver than Harry White,” said Tim Tait, the head professional at Marine Drive, where White had been a member since 1957.

“Harry is responsible for introducing thousands of kids to the game of golf in B.C.,” added fellow Marine Drive member Doug Roxburgh, the 13-time B.C. Amateur champion. “He put forward non-member kids for membership at the club that he came across and felt could benefit from being there.”

One of those kids was Richmond’s Chris Crisologo, who is now a member of Golf Canada’s national amateur team. Crisologo, a senior on the Simon Fraser University golf team, said White had a profound influence on his life that extends far beyond golf.

“I will always remember the passion he had for the game and the way he gave back to the community and kids,” Crisologo said in an interview. “He spoke a lot to us about the integrity of the game. That kind of passion and integrity has carried on through my golf and how I view the game.

“And it was more than just golf. He helped me get into Marine Drive as a junior and from there you learn respect and everything. He graduated from Vancouver College and he wrote me a nice little letter to help me get into the high school. There were just so many small things he did for me over the years that have touched and influenced my life.”

White was a huge supporter and organizer of the annual Junior America’s Cup competition that features 18 teams from 12 western U.S. states, two Canadian provinces and Mexico.
Crisologo played on two America’s Cup teams captained by White — in 2011 in Colorado and again in 2013 in Hawaii. Crisologo visited with White just days before his passing.

White, along with his late brother Dick and Michael Riste were founding members of the B.C. Golf Museum, which opened its doors on the grounds of University Golf Club in Vancouver in May of 1989.

Riste, whose tireless efforts have helped keep the golf museum afloat, said White’s support was crucial in getting the museum up and running. “When we built the golf museum, all I’d have to do was tell Harry, we need some insulation or I need drywall, and the next thing I knew it would arrive,” Riste said.

But Riste said White’s legacy will definitely be his contribution to junior golf. In addition to the Junior Linksters Tour, White and his late business partner Fred Wellsby started a Junior Zone tour in the Vancouver area that helped produce many top players.

“I wouldn’t even want to guess how many guys at Marine Drive played the junior tour, were good players and Harry got them into Marine Drive as junior members,” Riste said. “If there were 100 down there it wouldn’t shock me. . .Junior golf will definitely miss Harry White.”

While best known for his work supporting junior golf, White was also a fine player in his day. He played alongside Roxburgh on two Willingdon Cup teams for British Columbia. The team of White, Roxburgh, Johnny Russell and Dave Mick won the Willingdon Cup in 1972 at Earl Grey Golf Club in Calgary.

White was the stroke-play medallist at the 1969 B.C. Amateur Championship at Richmond Golf Club, but fell to Roxburgh in the match play semi-finals. Roxburgh, who visited with White just days before his passing, remembers winning that match on the 20th hole. He chuckled while reminiscing about the match.

“I think on the second hole I hit a wedge six inches from the hole and Harry turns to me and says, ‘I never give birdie putts.’ He made me putt it. I also remember he got it up and down on 18 to take it to extra holes and I beat him on the 20th.

“He was a very good player. He kind of had a funny swing. He had a dip in his backswing, he dipped his head down and his left knee down. But he was a strong guy and could hit the ball pretty solid. Back in his heyday he was a very good putter.”

White was also a past Vancouver City Amateur champion. Later in life, he turned pro and made an unsuccessful attempt to qualify for the Senior Tour. “Harry was a fine player and in his prime always a contender,” said Kris Jonasson, longtime executive director of British Columbia Golf. “As a builder, Harry was an unequalled champion. Golfers will miss his passion, his mentorship, but will always remember the legacy he leaves behind.”

Riste said a celebration of White’s life will be held later this month at Marine Drive Golf Club. Riste also hopes to set up a junior golf scholarship in White’s name.