BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – National Amateur Squad member Joey Savoie emerged with the lead in Wednesday’s opening round of the Argentine Amateur at the Argentina Golf Club.

Savoie, a La Prairie, Que., native, notched a 5-under-par 67 to co-lead the event with Brazil’s Machado Herik. The Team Canada rookie carded six birdies against one blemish on the par-5 4th, building a one-stroke advantage over the field.

Savoie is looking to collect his second consecutive win in Argentina, after capturing medallist honours last week at the Tailhade Cup. Teammate and fellow countryman Josh Whalen of Napanee, Ont., posted a 1-under 71 effort to hold a share of 5th place.

Both Canadians will look to keep rolling when the second stroke play round gets underway Thursday.

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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Argentina’s best amateur golfers will square off against a strong international field including Team Canada’s Joey Savoie and Josh Whalen when the Argentine Amateur gets underway Nov. 8-11 at the Argentina Golf Club.

The Canadian duo is coming off an impressive 16-stroke victory in Argentina at the Tailhade Cup (Canada’s third in the last four years), marking a great start to their rookie campaigns as members of the National Amateur Squad.

Savoie (La Prairie, Que.) and Whalen (Napanee, Ont.) will compete for the top seed during the tournaments opening stroke play rounds for position in the match play portion of the tournament.

Whalen is set to tee off Wednesday on No. 10 at 8:50 a.m., with Savoie following at 9 a.m.

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A crucial component of generating power in the swing is ankle mobility. More specifically, dorsiflexion mobility, which is the bend in the ankle where your foot flexes towards your head. From the top of your downswing the ankle progressively flexes more and more until maximum ankle dorsiflexion occurs just before impact. The greater dorsiflexion you have the more you can impart muscle force into the ground and thereby create a reaction force from the ground. The reaction force is what enables you to generate maximum power from the glute muscles and the rest of the leg. It is what produces club speed and, therefore, distance.

Our demands on the ankle don’t end there though. In addition, we require the ankle to be dynamically stable and not collapse in the downswing into what’s commonly known as pronation. A muscle called the tibialis posterior (A) is your chief stabilizer here. So it’s very important that this muscle is strong but flexible.

The other variable to consider is that a lack of mobility in the ankles — or asymmetry in ankle mobility — leads to swing problems, such as coming out of one’s posture early in the downswing. This often leads to nasty habits, like topping the ball or big sweeping slices.

However, spend three weeks performing these two exercises and watch your ankle compression improve and your golf ball soar.

Calf Massage
Very straightforward: use the shaft of an iron to work out and massage the calves at the back of your leg. Do this for three minutes on each leg before hitting the first tee box.

Ankle Strength

Wrap a rubber band around the ball of your foot while holding the opposite end of the band with your hand. On the count of two seconds, push your ankle down and in towards the other foot. Hold for another second before returning to the start position for three seconds. Repeat until fatigue.

This article was originally published in the Fall Issue of Golf Canada Magazine. Click here to view the full magazine.

LAS VEGAS – Patrick Cantlay won the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open on Sunday in a playoff for the first victory in a PGA Tour career mostly derailed by a severe back injury.

The 25-year-old former UCLA star hit from behind a tree and got up-and-down for par from off the back of the 18th green to beat Alex Cejka and Whee Kim on the second extra hole.

“I knew that I’d be able to get to where I wanted to be if I felt healthy,” Cantlay said. “If I felt like I didn’t have pain and I could practice and prepare for tournaments. I know how to practice and prepare for tournaments, so I can do what I want. I feel like I can play well and compete with anybody.”

Cantlay bogeyed the final two holes of regulation for a 5-under 67 to get in at 9-under 275 at windy TPC Summerlin. Cejka shot a 63 more than two hours before Cantlay and Kim – playing together in the third-to-last group – finished the round.

The three played the 456-yard, par-4 18th twice in the playoff, matching bogeys the first time. On the second extra hole, Cantlay escaped the trees in the right rough, hitting a 4-iron from 185 yards.

“I felt like as long as I kept it below the tree branch that was in front of me and cut it enough, I felt like it would go in a pretty decent spot,” Cantlay said. “I maybe didn’t cut it as much as I wanted to. I think the rough stopped it from being able to spin and get any cut on it, but it ended up in a good spot. It was a good shot.”

Kim bogeyed 18 in regulation for a 66, then went bogey-double bogey on the hole in the playoff.

“It was brutally tough,” Kim said. “The wind is blowing, and it’s really tough.”

Cejka birdied the final four holes in regulation for a back-nine 30.

“It was looking very slim, and then the wind picked up,” Cejka said about the getting in the playoff. “Luckily, the guys were dropping shots and I had the chance. But, you know, it’s a tough hole here. You’ve got to win with a par. I made two bogeys in the playoff, so that’s a little bit disappointing.”

The 46-year-old Czech-born German lives in Las Vegas.

“It’s tough to play at home,” Cejka said. “There is a lot of pressure, and people expect good things from you.”

Cantlay broke through to win after a remarkable return last season from the back problems. Out of golf since 2013, he didn’t miss a cut and made it to the Tour Championship while playing only 12 events. Part of that was due to an ankle injury that slowed him for two months.

“There’s not a lot of give up in me,” Cantlay said. “I never really thought about giving it up. I thought maybe there was a chance my back would never feel good enough to play again. But, fortunately, I feel great. I have a good program. I figured out a way to feel good all the time. It’s all good. I’m happy to be playing.”

Cantlay didn’t decide to enter Las Vegas a week ago Friday when he was at the HSBC Champions in Shanghai. He earned $1,224,000, a two-year exemption and moved into the top 50 in world.

“Goals for the rest of the season, definitely majors,” Cantlay said. “It will be nice to be into all of those, and making it all the way to the FedEx final and playing well in those events, those are big. First time playing last year, and really realized the gravity of them, and would like to do well and compete there, too.”

Cantlay birdied Nos. 11-14 before the sloppy finish in the difficult conditions.

“The last four, with the wind kicking up, that wind in and off the left on 18 makes that hole particularly difficult, and I was just trying to hit quality shots all the way to the end,” Cantlay said. “The finish did not happen how I thought it would, but it was just enough.”

Patton Kizzire (64), J.T. Poston (66) and Chesson Hadley (68) finished a stroke out of the playoff. Hadley bogeyed the 18th in the second-to-last group.

Nick Taylor (68) of Abbotsford, B.C., was the low Canadian at 2 under and tied for 32nd. Ben Silverman (66) of Thornhill, Ont., finished the event even and Corey Conners (74) of Listowel, Ont., was 5 over.

Beau Hossler, tied for the third-round lead with J.J. Spaun, had a 73 to drop into a tie for seventh at 7 under with Bryson DeChambeau (67) and Tom Hoge (69).

Spaun played the final four holes in 5 over for a 74. He bogeyed the 15th and closed with two double bogeys to drop into a tie for 10th at 6 under.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – National Amateur Squad duo of Joey Savoie and Josh Whalen marched to an emphatic 16-stroke victory on Sunday to win the Tailhade Cup at the Los Lagartos Country Club.

The Canadians were led by Savoie of La Prairie, Que., who fired his lowest round of the tournament with a 5-under 66 en route to capturing medallist honours. The 23-year-old finished at 8 under par (69-73-68-66), two strokes ahead of runner-up Machado Herik of Brazil.

“This victory was because Josh and I complimented ourselves in a great way together,” said Savoie. “We want to thank the families that have hosted us here in Argentina — they treated us very well and made for a memorable week.”

Whalen of Napanee, Ont., also saved his best for the final round, carding a 3-under-par 68 to climb into a share of fourth individually. The Kent State alumnus closed the event at 4 under (73-69-70-68), one stroke shy of third place.

“It feels great to have put in the work and win the cup for our country,” said Whalen. “We played very calm all week — we came with a lot of confidence and everything came together for us when we needed it to.”

Collectively, the Canadian duo totalled a 5-under 134 in Sunday’s finale, extending their 54-hole advantage from two strokes to a convincing 16. The win marks the third victory for Canada in four years, which is an accomplishment not lost on Team Canada men’s head coach, Derek Ingram.

“I’m very happy for Joey and Josh — this is a really great start to their first year as members of the national team,” said Ingram. “It’s great for these two to follow in the footsteps of professionals Corey Conners (PGA TOUR) and Austin Connelly (European Tour), who were in the very same spot — a great learning experience all around.”

Eric Banks (Truro, N.S.) and Tony Gil (Vaughan, Ont.) captured the event in 2015 while Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.) and dual citizen Austin Connelly (Irving, Texas) took home the title in 2014.

Camilo Aguado, the Colombian 54-hole leader at the 2017 Canadian Amateur, finished in seventh place at 2 under par.

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IBARAKI, Japan – Defending champion Shanshan Feng of China fired a 4-under 68 on Sunday to win the LPGA Tour’s Japan Classic by two strokes.

Feng recovered from two bogeys on the first three holes with six birdies to finish at 19-under 197, two shots ahead of Japan’s Ai Suzuki, who also shot a 68.

Feng became the first golfer on the LPGA Tour to defend a title in 2017 and claimed her second victory of the year, having captured the LPGA Volvik Championship in May.

“That was my goal, before I started the week, to defend my title,” said Feng. “My caddie told me: ‘This week, you’re going to be first. Two weeks ago, you finished third. Last week, you finished second, so you know what comes after that. first.’ I was like, OK, let’s go for it.”

Suzuki had a chance to overtake Feng through the back nine, but any time Suzuki made a birdie, it seemed as though Feng would answer with one of her own. She couldn’t capitalize on opportunities late in the round, and a final-hole bogey sealed the win for Feng.

“Her ball striking is so good. She left herself so many birdie chances and I was freaked out,” Feng said of Suzuki. “Before I started the round, I told myself to not look at the other scores and just go to 21-under par. I played very well.”

Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist had a hole-in-one on the par-3 third hole and added five birdies against a lone bogey for a 66 to finish in third place at 15-under 201.

Brooke Henderson, the lone Canadian in the field, shot a 2 under 70 and finished the tournament 6 under.

Lizette Salas was fourth after finishing with a 68.

Former World No. 1 Lydia Ko was among a group of seven golfers tied for fifth place after firing a 68 that included five birdies and a bogey on the final hole.

World No. 1 So Yeon Ryu had a 73 in the final round and said she would be taking next week off in order to rehab her still-injured shoulder as she makes a push for Player of the Year honours.

LAS VEGAS – Beau Hossler and J.J. Spaun shared the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open lead Saturday after another breezy day at TPC Summerlin.

The 22-year-old Hossler birdied the par-4 15th and 18th holes for a bogey-free 5-under 66 – the best round of the day in the difficult conditions.

“It was one of those days you couldn’t get ahead of yourself at all,” Hossler said. “As soon as you do that, you get yourself in trouble. I just tried to keep the ball on the fairway and keep it below the hole as much as possible and manage my game. To get out of there bogey-free is kind of a miracle, to be honest.”

The 27-year-old Spaun, the leader after the completion of the second round in the morning, bogeyed the par-3 17th and saved par with a 10-footer on the 18th for a 73.

“I just was trying to get comfortable out there,” Spaun said. “I was really uncomfortable considering the conditions and the position I was in. But, yeah, I kind of kept things together. Those last five holes were pretty brutal. So, to not really give too many shots back on those holes, it’s not so bad as it looks.”

Hossler and Spaun, both winless on the PGA Tour, were at 9-under 204 – the highest leading third-round total by six strokes since the tournament went to one course in 2008.

Tony Finau was three strokes back after a 69. Tom Hoge (67), Gary Woodland (68), Chesson Hadley (69) and Patrick Cantlay (70) were 5 under.

“It was tough, but you’ve got to control your ball flight,” Finau said. “The balls are flying all over the place, but mentally you’ve just got to try to stay in it and take one shot at a time.”

Hossler got used to playing in the wind at the University of Texas.

“That was part of the reason why I went to Texas,” Hossler said. “Coming from Southern California you’re kind of in a bubble with perfect weather and no wind. So I was really struggling with that. When I go to school, playing in this kind of wind fairly regularly, not all the time. Certainly there were some windy days in Texas. So that experience has really helped me. I feel like I can control my ball in the wind a little bit better. Also, underrated. It’s sneaky hard to putt when it’s windy.”

Hossler tied for 10th last week in Mississippi for his first top-10 in 14 starts.

Spaun bogeyed three of the first five holes and had his lone birdies on Nos. 10 and 13.

“That’s all I could ever want is to have a chance on Sunday,” Spaun said. “I’m looking forward to it. I know it’s not going to be easy. But whatever happens, happens. It’s definitely a learning experience. Hopefully, I get it done.”

Spaun is making his 35th career PGA Tour start. He finished 97th last season as a rookie in the FedExCup.

Nick Taylor (74) of Abbotsford, B.C., is the low Canadian at 1 over. Corey Conners (74) of Listowel, Ont., is 2 over and Ben Silverman (76) of Thornhill, Ont., is 5 over.

IBARAKI, Japan – Defending champion Shanshan Feng of China fired a 9-under 63 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead after the second round of the LPGA Tour’s Japan Classic.

Feng carded seven birdies and an eagle at the Taiheiyo Club to move to 15-under 129, two strokes ahead of Japan’s Ai Suzuki, who was in sole possession of second place after a 65, that featured four birdies and an eagle on the back-nine.

Feng birdied five of her first seven holes to jump out to a quick lead. The 2012 Women’s PGA Championship winner eagled the 12th hole then picked up two late birdies to keep ahead of the fast-finishing Suzuki.

“I was shocked, because that wasn’t a very usual start for a round,” said Feng. “But then after that I kind of kept my good putting going on and finished with a 9-under.”

Feng is aiming to become the first golfer on the LPGA Tour to defend a title in 2017. She is looking for her second victory of the year, having captured the LPGA Volvik Championship in May.

Charley Hull of England had six birdies and an eagle at the second for at 64 that put her in a tie for third at 10-under 134 with South Korean Min Young Lee.

Stacy Lewis shot a 67 and was tied for fifth with Lizette Salas, Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist, and the Japanese pair Momoko Ueda and Ayaka Watanabe.

Brooke Henderson, the lone Canadian in the tournament, shot a 3-under 69 and is 4 under through two rounds.

Lexi Thompson struggled with the conditions and offset three bogeys with three birdies for a 72 that left her in a tie for 42nd.

Five more golfers are at 8-under par including World No. 1 So Yeon Ryu, who is still battling a shoulder injury, and New Zealand’s Lydia Ko, who is looking for her first victory of the year.

“Putting and driving are always going to be important no matter what tournament you play,” said Ko. “So those are things I’ll always be working on, to try to be more consistent.”

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Team Canada Amateur Squad duo of Joey Savoie and Josh Whalen have extended their lead to two strokes through 54 holes of the Tailhade Cup at the Los Lagartos Country Club.

Savoie, a La Prairie, Que., product, carded his lowest round of the tournament on Saturday with a 3-under-par 68. The 23-year-old Middle Tennessee State University graduate sits at 4 under for the tournament (69-73-68), six back of individual leader Shin Federico of host nation Argentina.

“It was a solid round, I was very good in all aspects of my game…It is a challenging course and you have to take advantage of the few opportunities it gives you,” said Savoie. “Tomorrow is going to be an interesting day.”

Teammate Josh Whalen of Napanee, Ont., posted a 1-under-par 70 on Saturday to holds a share of 5th place.

“I wasted a lot of chances and frustration happens a little bit out there,” said Whalen. “But I can’t complain, I played well and what we are doing is working. Brazil put pressure on us and I think that the tournament is not going to be decided until the last hole.”

Collectively, the Canadian pair sits at 4 under par, holding a two-stroke advantage over Brazil. They will look to collect the third title in four years when the final round gets underway on Sunday. Eric Banks (Truro, N.S.) and Tony Gil (Vaughan, Ont.) captured the event in 2015 while Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.) and dual citizen Austin Connelly (Irving, Texas) took home the title in 2014.

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IBARAKI, Japan – Defending champion Shanshan Feng fired a 6-under 66 on Friday to share a seven-way lead after the first round of the LPGA Tour’s Japan Classic.

Feng carded six birdies in a bogey-free round at the Taiheiyo Club and was joined at 6 under by Americans Lizette Salas and Jane Park, Japanese players Saiki Fujita, Ai Suzuki and Nasa Hataoka, and Lee Ming-yong of South Korea.

Feng was only 1-under through 11 holes, but made five birdies in her last seven holes to climb into a tie for the lead. She is aiming to become the first golfer on the LPGA Tour to defend a title in 2017.

“I did start the day slowly, just like usual, and then I got my first birdie on the eighth hole finally,” Feng said. “After that I was like ‘that’s just the first of many,’ and then my ball striking was very good on the back nine,”

Anna Nordqvist was a further stroke back at 5 under, tied for eighth with South Koreans Sei Young Kim and Chae Young Yoon.

Lexi Thompson offset three bogeys with seven birdies for a 68 and was tied for 11th in a group of 13 players including No. 1-ranked So Yeon Ryu, Lydia Ko and Stacy Lewis.

In her last six starts, Feng has finished in the top seven five times, and is riding a hot streak into her title defence this week.

“What I did today was good, and I think I just stick to my same plan,” Feng said. “I believe if my ball striking is as good as normal then I’ll give myself a lot of birdie chances every day. So, if my putting is working I should be able to shoot lower scores.”

Salas, who bogeyed her first hole of the day but rebounded with seven birdies over the rest of her round, is also on a hot streak. She has finished in the top five in three of her last four events, but is still looking for her first title of the year.

“I feel really confident with these greens,” she said. “They’re slick (and) they’re fast, which are the kind of greens I like. My iron play has been improving so far, and I’ve been making clutch putts when I need to.”