CALGARY – Kevin Sutherland made the most of an early start at the Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club on Friday.

Sutherland was in the second group out on the back nine of the par-70, 7,086-yard course and had birdies on his second and fifth holes before adding six more on the front nine for an 8-under 62.

His round held up as the best of the day, leaving him atop the leaderboard after the opening round of the Shaw Charity Classic.

“It was nice to get out early in the day,” said Sutherland, who birdied five of his final seven holes. “The weather was nice and cool, which was something that we haven’t had a lot lately, so it was nice to get a nice cool day out here.”

On his final hole, Sutherland had a chance to make another birdie to tie the course record of 61, but he just missed the putt to the low side of the hole.

“I had no idea,” said Sutherland. “If I would have known, I might have tried to hit it a little higher.”

Sutherland has finished second three times this season on the PGA Tour Champions circuit and also has 12 top-10 showings in 16 starts.

“I’ve been playing well all year,” he said. “I feel like my game’s in a really good place right now. I’m hitting a lot of really good, quality iron shots, which is giving me a lot of good opportunities.”

Rod Spittle of Niagara Falls, Ont., wasn’t surprised to hear that Sutherland continued his fine form on Friday.

“I’ve played a bunch with Kevin the last month or so,” said Spittle, who finished as the low Canadian after shooting a 3-under 67. “He’s playing really, really well. He’s a terrific player.”

Spittle finished Friday’s round in a tie for 23rd spot with nine other golfers including 2014 Shaw Charity Classic winner Fred Couples.

“The course is in such terrific condition,” Spittle said. “The greens are so smooth. That’s the reason for the low scores.

“It’ll be, I’m sure, a birdie-fest for the fans to watch for the next couple days, without a doubt.”

Scott McCarron received a nice round of applause after he eagled the par-5, 18th hole to shoot 63 and finish alone in second spot after the first of three days of competition.

“You make the eagle and it’s a nice reaction – almost feels like you’re winning a tournament or something like that and it’s only Friday,” McCarron said. “The 18th is just fantastic – great theatre.”

Miguel Angel Jimenez also eagled the 18th hole to finish in a four-way tie for third spot with Todd Hamilton, Billy Andrade and Scott Dunlop at 6-under 64.

Vancouver’s Stephen Ames had a 69 to finish in a tie for 45th with nine other golfers, including defending champion Carlos Franco.

Victoria’s Jim Rutledge finished well back of the pack with a 72.

Shaw communications is donating $500 for every birdie made on the 18th hole throughout the tournament to support the shaw charity classic’s 156 youth-based charities across the province. Today, 27 birdies were made on the par-5, 18th hole, bringing shaw’s birdies for charity total to $13,500.

Varying the distance of your shots on the range will help you dial in exact numbers and distance control.

The beauty of wedge play is that it is an easy area for players to really separate themselves on the course. By strengthening this part of your game, you will make more birdies and save more pars after unfortunate mistakes off the tee. And it does not require crazy power since most shots are within 110 yards.

With that in mind, I recommend trying one of my favourite drills called Wrong, Wrong, Right where I place three markers out at, say, 40, 60 and 110 yards on the range then have our players — in this picture Team Canada’s Stuart Macdonald (left) and Hugo Bernard (right) — hit three balls to each cone. But instead of instructing them to try to hit all three shots exactly, for example, 60 yards, I have them try to fly the first ball 55 yards, the second ball 65 yards and then dial in the third ball to the correct distance, which would be 60 yards.

Practising this Wrong, Wrong, Right approach allows players to feel out a correct distance and understand the small adjustments needed in swing speed/swing length and distance control to hit that target. Harnessing this feel will naturally make you a much better wedge player.

THE SETUP
-Position the ball in the middle of your stance.
-Shift slightly more weight — maybe 55 per cent — onto your lead foot versus your trail leg.
-Lean your shaft slightly forward towards the target at address.

Follow @dingramgolf

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

Alamo, California’s Cody Blick, Powhatan, Virginia’s Jay Woodson and New Philadelphia, Ohio’s Blake Sattler all shot rounds of 6-under 66 on Thursday at Bell Bay Golf Club to take the first round lead at the Cape Breton Open, the 10^th event of the 2017 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

The trio all reached 6-under, just ahead of a group of five players at 5-under when play was suspended due to darkness at 7:47 p.m. One group was left to finish on the course with Round 1 set to resume at 8:15 a.m. Friday morning.

Blick, who recorded his best finish of 2016 with a T10 at last year’s Cape Breton Open, fed off friendly memories of Bell Bay to shoot 6-under and share the lead.

“It’s just the atmosphere in Baddeck here. The town’s so relaxing and welcoming, it’s great. I just love coming out here,” said Blick. “The course is gettable. You’ve got to hit it well, but then it’s gettable and I just feel at home when I come out here. Today, the putter just got hot, and it went from there.”

.@codyblick closed with a 64 at the 2016 @CapeBretonOpen.

He opened with a 66 today.

Safe to say he's a fan of @BELLBAYGOLFCLUB. pic.twitter.com/e6fJeTefIV

— Mackenzie Tour (@PGATOURCanada) August 31, 2017

Woodson, who came into the week having missed the cut in all but one of his nine starts this year, found a spark with four birdies and an eagle on day one.

“Obviously the year hasn’t gone the way I would have liked, but sometimes when you have a lot of events bunched up together and you don’t have a lot of time off, it happens. I know how these things go and I’ve been playing for a long time, and sometimes you hit some rough patches and you’ve got to keep playing. It only takes one good shot or one good round to get some momentum going, and that’s all you can do,” said Woodson.

Sattler, who’s coming off his best finish of the season with a T10 finish at the National Capital Open to Support Our Troops, defied the early rainy conditions with a bogey-free day that included a closing birdie at the par-5 18^th.

“I got off to a good start in the rain. It was kind of sprinkling when we started, then it got windy and was a pretty good solid rain for a little bit, but I birdied the first hole and the third hole, and when I made the turn the skies kind of lightened up. I just kept it in front of me,” said Sattler.

A nice way to finish the day for Blake Sattler.

He rolls in a birdie putt at the last to tie the lead at 6-under. #CapeBretonOpen pic.twitter.com/7uIR271AoJ

— Mackenzie Tour (@PGATOURCanada) August 31, 2017

Florida’s Lee McCoy, Germany’s Max Rottluff, Oregon’s Zach Foushee, California’s Kaz Hoffman and Ontario’s Michael Gligic were a shot off the lead at 5-under 67, while another 13 players were a stroke further behind at 4-under.

Click here to view the full leaderboard.

Discussions around the use of video evidence and viewer call-ins continue to evolve

In conjunction with the Rules Modernization Initiative, golf’s governing bodies have been discussing video evidence at length. In fact, a draft of language regarding video evidence and the use of such information was ready to be included among the proposed changes to the 2019 Rules of Golf.

Instead, a new decision to limit the use of video evidence was implemented immediately in order to address unintended consequences as a result of the increasing prevalence of technology in the game.

For some golf purists, who strongly stand by the game’s values of honour and integrity, this may provoke a negative reaction. It’s understood that players are responsible for knowing the rules and officials are there to assist and apply the rules.

Since the game is predominantly played without the supervision of a rules official, players are expected to report any violations and accept any incurred penalties from doing so no matter how severe.

Nevertheless the controversies at major championships, such as Tiger Woods incorrectly dropping from a water hazard at the 2013 Masters, Dustin Johnson’s golf ball slightly moving at the 2016 U.S. Open and Lexi Thompson misplacing her ball at the ANA Inspiration in April, continue to arise. These incidents, however, were only distinguishable through the use of video replay, which can be slowed down or zoomed in if necessary.

This new decision by the game’s governing bodies is intended to address that issue and outlines two standards for committees to limit the use of video. Firstly, when video reveals evidence that could not reasonably be seen with the naked eye, and secondly, when players use their reasonable judgment to determine a specific location, point or distance when applying the rules.

Golf’s governing bodies have also formed a working group of LPGA Tour, PGA Tour, PGA European Tour, Ladies European Tour and PGA of America representatives to immediately begin a comprehensive review of broader video issues, including viewer call-ins, which arise in televised competitions.

Ultimately the responsibility of any rules official and tournament committee is to protect the field and ensure everyone plays to the same standards. On the flip side, this mandate also protects the players and prevents microscopic details from determining champions.

To view the full text of the new Decision 34-3/10, click here.

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

OTTAWA – For the fourth time since it’s inauguration, the world’s premier 18-and-under players will gather in Canada to compete in the annual World Junior Girls Championship. The Marshes Golf Club in Ottawa, Ont., will host the event for the second time from Sept. 24-29 as the girls compete in both team and individual competitions.

“We are thrilled to head back to The Marshes Golf Club to host this year’s World Junior Girls Championship,” said tournament director Mary Beth McKenna. “Returning to the capital for Canada 150 marks a special celebration for the event, and a great way for us to close out our championship season.”

The Marshes Golf Club is a unique course that encompasses the many natural features in the area including wetlands, meadows and hardwood forests. The course was designed in collaboration between Robert Trent Jr. and Sr., and features six par-3, six par-4 and six par-5 holes.

Conducted by Golf Canada in partnership with Golf Ontario, with support from the International Golf Federation and The R&A, the 2017 edition of the World Junior Girls Championship will bring together 60 of the top 18-and-under female golfers from 19 countries around the globe. As hosts of the event, Canada will feature two three-member teams in the competition.

“We could not be more excited to once again bring the World Junior Girls Championship to the capital region,” said Mike Kelly, executive director of Golf Ontario. “The Marshes Golf Club is an exceptional venue that will serve as a fantastic backdrop for this competition. We greatly appreciate the support of our generous sponsors and partners without whom this championship would not be possible. We look forward to seeing the Ottawa golfing community rally around this wonderful event.”

The inaugural World Junior Girls Championship in 2014 saw teams from across the world take on Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont. Mika Liu of Beverly Hills, Calif., captured individual honours in leading Team USA to victory. Playing in her final event as an amateur, Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., finished fourth as Canada’s first team claimed bronze.

The second edition of the tournament was staged at The Marshes Golf Club. The team representing the Republic of Korea completed a wire-to-wire victory to secure the team title. Hye-jin Choi, a native of Paju-si, South Korea, registered a seven-stroke victory with a 12-under performance.

In 2016, Yuka Saso of Santa Rosa, Philippines, shot an opening-round 66 at Mississaugua Golf & Country Club to cruise to a six-shot win in the individual competition while also leading Philippines to the team victory, finishing at 2 over par.

In addition to the 72-hole team and individual competitions, the World Junior Girls Championship will be a celebration of the sport with a specific focus on the development and promotion of junior girls golf.  The days leading up to tournament play will see a PGA of Canada coaching summit as well as a free junior girls skills clinic.

“This world-class competition provides us with the opportunity to benchmark our domestic talent against the strongest female players from around the globe while also contributing to the continued growth and collaboration amongst the international governing bodies in the sport,” said Jeff Thompson, chief sport officer of Golf Canada. “We are proud to once again conduct this championship in support of these fine athletes and to aid in raising the profile of junior girls golf.”

The competition’s first round will begin on Tuesday, Sept. 26. The tournament’s closing ceremonies will immediately follow the conclusion of play on Friday, Sept. 29.

In Gee Chun shot a 6-under 66 on Thursday in the Cambia Portland Classic to take a one-stroke lead over two-time defending champion Brooke Henderson and five others.

Playing the event for the first time, the sixth-ranked Chun had seven birdies and a bogey at tree-lined Columbia Edgewater.

“Before coming here everyone said the course is really good,” Chun said. “I agreed. I like big trees. It’s amazing. And the greens are very consistent and really good condition.”

The South Korean player tied for third last week in the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open and has four runner-up finishes this season. Both of her LPGA Tour victories have come in majors _ the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open and the 2016 Evian Championship.

“I have not been able to win, but I think it was a strong finish,” Chun said. “Sometimes I had small stress from that part. … Just keep going, enjoying the process.”

Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., had six birdies and a bogey to match Cheyenne Woods, Cindy LaCrosse, Moriya Jutanugarn, Nicole Broch Larsen and Nasa Hataoka at 67.

“I think it just suits my eye,” Henderson said. “I love tree-lined courses and I love when it’s so green everywhere you look. The grass is very lush, and I love that. Just playing here I have so many incredible memories from two years ago, last year, and I just try to feed of the energy and adrenaline that I felt over the past couple years.”

After bogeying the par-4 eighth, the 19-year-old Canadian got up-and-down from a fairway bunker on the par-4 ninth, hitting a 7-iron from 157 yards to inches for a closing birdie.

“That bunker shot in the fairway on No. 9 really saved my whole round,” Henderson said. “I would’ve liked to finish a little bit lower today. I was 4 under through the front nine and things were going really well. I tried to make a few more birdies on the back but they just didn’t fall.”

Henderson set the tournament 72-hole record of 21-under 267 in 2015. She had a hole-in-one Wednesday in the pro-am playing alongside Nancy Lopez, the only three-time winner in event history. Henderson has four LPGA Tour victories, also winning the major KPMG Women’s PGA last year and the Meijer LPGA Classic in June.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp is 3 under after a 69 while Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., fired a 70. Calgary’s Jennifer Ha is 3 over and Augusta James of Bath, Ont., is 7 over.

Lexi Thompson had an eagle and a double bogey in a 68. Also making her first start in the event, the second-ranked Thompson eagled the par-5 fifth to reach 4 under and was 5 under after a birdie on the par-4 11th, but dropped back with the double bogey after driving to right on the par-4 17th. She rebounded with a long birdie putt from the fringe on the par-4 18th.

“Definitely a ball-striker’s golf course,” Thompson said. “I have a good amount of wedges out there, but the greens get so firm. It’s important to get the landing yardage right so it stays pin-high and not bounce over the green.”

Ai Miyazato had a 69. Making her final start in the U.S., the Japanese star plans to retire after The Evian Championship in two weeks in France.

Stacy Lewis shot 70. The Houston-area player is donating her earnings to hurricane relief.

“A lot of messages and texts and people wanting to know how they can help,” Lewis said. “That’s kind of the point behind it, to get more people involved and create some awareness.”

Juli Inkster, the oldest player in the field at 57, had a 72 in the group with Chun.

Top-ranked So Yeon Ryu, playing alongside Thompson, opened with a 74.

Click here to view the full leaderboard.

Four Canadians will be in the field this week at the first Web.com Tour Finals event the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Charity Championship at Ohio State University Golf Club’s Scarlet Course in Arlington, Ohio.

Leading the way with his PGA TOUR card already locked up is Thornhill, Ont., native Ben Silverman.

Silverman is playing the best golf of his professional career with four top-10s in his last four starts – including his first career Web.com Tour win at the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr. Pepper.

He finished the regular season No. 10 on the Web.com Tour Money List securing one of 25 cards available in the regular season and will be jockeying for priority on the PGA TOUR card list during the Finals.

Joining Silverman in Ohio are fellow Canadians Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.), Roger Sloan (Merritt, B.C.), and Adam Svensson (Surrey, B.C.).

The three will battle for the 25 additional PGA TOUR cards available to the top-25 finishers on the separate Web.com Tour Finals money list.

Conners – a member of the Team Canada Young Pro Squad – finished the regular season ranked No. 49 on the Web.com Tour money list.

He had three top-10s this season including a career best T5 finish at The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay.

The 25-year-old is looking to secure PGA TOUR status for the first time in his career since turning pro in 2015. He will do so in familiar territory this week having played the Scarlet Course several times during his college career with Kent State University.

Sloan, 30, slotted in just behind Conners on the money list during the regular season finishing at No. 53 and like Conners he had three top-10 finishes.

He had a PGA TOUR card in 2015 after finishing in the top-25 on the Web.com Tour regular season money list.

Svensson was No. 66 on the regular season money list. He had two top-10 finishes this season, his best result coming at the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship where he was tied for sixth.

Both Svensson and Sloan reached the Finals last year but failed to secure their PGA TOUR card finishing at No. 75 and 76 respectively on the Finals money list.

The ordering of all 50 players after the Web.com Tour Finals will be done on an alternating basis, with the top position going to the No. 1 player from the combined Regular Season and Finals money list and the second position going to the leading money winner from the four Web.com Tour Finals.

The sequence then alternates between the combined Regular Season and Finals money list.

Click here for more information on the Web.com Tour Finals.

Team Canada Women’s Head Coach Tristan Mullally helps with controlling your various wedge distances.

The key to Maude-Aimée LeBlanc’s improved play of late has been lightening up on herself, in more ways than one.

The challenge for Maude-Aimée LeBlanc has never been talent.

The 6-1 native of Sherbrooke, Que., uses her long levers to power a swing that has her ranked eighth on the LPGA Tour in average driving distance at close to 270 yards, just three behind leader Lexi Thompson.

The 28-year-old has shown such abilities throughout her career, winning the 2006 Canadian Junior Girls championship, the 2006 Junior Orange Bowl International and the 2010 NCAA Division I Team Championship for Purdue University.

The challenge for LeBlanc hasn’t been work ethic either.

At the 2016 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, she took up a spot on the far left side of the range at Sahalee Country Club. A crowd formed to watch the tall woman with the athletic swing knock out long shot after long shot.

People wandered off to watch other players tee off, followed them for nine holes and when they made the turn, walked by the range to see LeBlanc still in the same place, still knocking out long shot after long shot.

No, LeBlanc has always had an extreme talent for the game since she took it up at five, accompanying her dad, Gaston, to the course. She’s always had the drive and motivation too.

LeBlanc’s challenge, almost since the day she picked up a club, is controlling herself and the fire that she admits is sometimes all consuming, a greater obstacle than the course, the distance between her and the cup or even one of her opponents.

You might call her The Towering Inferno.

At the 2009 U.S. Women’s Amateur, Leblanc told Golfweek: “I think I have the worst temper here.”

Later that summer she stormed off the course at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open when, still an amateur, she hit a shot into the water on her 36th hole, made a double-bogey and missed the cut by a stroke. She said she brooded for weeks and didn’t sleep because of that chunked shot into the drink at Priddis Greens near Calgary.

A year later, when she was at Purdue, her self-loathing on the golf course was judged to be unacceptable. She was the sixth-ranked player in the nation when her coach, Devon Brouse, sent her to the clubhouse after 11 holes of the second round of the Tiger/Wave Classic in New Orleans for unsportsmanlike conduct. She was 11 over par at the time. Brouse repeatedly used the word “disrespect” in explaining his decision.

Two months later, LeBlanc led the Boilermakers to that national championship.

She knows it. She knows she can’t conquer this game until she learns to find a way to regulate the pressures that threaten to suppress her talent and work ethic.

Pressure. It’s a word in a couple different definitions that defines what is happening in LeBlanc’s game and life right now.

“I always set really high standards for myself and I’m very hard on myself and I’m still working on that,” she said.

When she doesn’t meet those standards, LeBlanc admits she feels pressured to abandon whatever game plan she’s following at the time.

“Whenever I have a bad week or if I didn’t play the way I wanted that week, I have a lot of doubts in my head about what I’m doing,” she said. “That’s what is affecting me the most — when I start doubting what I’m doing. I’ll start making changes I shouldn’t be making.”

She’s working with her current coach, Diane Lavigne, on all aspects of her game, but mostly on managing pressure in all its forms.

The numbers say LeBlanc is making progress. A graduate of Golf Canada’s national team program, she turned pro in 2011 and earned her LPGA card at Q-School on her first try. Following a severe back injury that stunted her career for a couple of seasons, LeBlanc was demoted to the developmental Symetra Tour in 2015 but with five top-five finishes in 22 starts she earned her way back to the LPGA last year.

After being bothered by a right shoulder injury for the first half of the 2016 season, LeBlanc finished the year making 13 straight cuts (including her best career finish, a T11 at the Marathon Classic) to earn her card for 2017. She enjoyed a fine showing in last year’s CP Women’s Open with a wonderfully consistent run of 69-69-70-69 and a tie for 14th, coincidentally at Priddis Greens.

Of her nearly $300,000 in career earnings, she netted well over half of that last year with $173,443 to finish 81st on the money list.

Then there’s this stat: On March 28, 2016, she was ranked 415th in the world. One day short of a year later, she was 182nd, a climb of 233 spots.

The key, as it turns out, has not only been managing that aforementioned pressure she heaps on her shoulders, but her grip pressure as well. Her climb up performance pecking orders has been in lockstep with a major improvement in her putting.

“The thing that has helped the most for my putting was the simplest thing ever, just grip pressure,” she said. “The one thing I changed in my grip was the pressure I apply on the grip with certain fingers. That made all the difference in the world and it makes my stroke so much more consistent every week.”

Specifically, she’s been focused on loosening the last three fingers of her right hand. “It takes the fingers out of the stroke and makes the face much more square,” she explained.

In 2013, LeBlanc ranked 109th on the LPGA Tour with an average of 30.56 putts per round. She improved to 75th last year (29.97) and is up to 59th at press time this year, having shaved another third of a putt off her average to 29.60.

“A light bulb came on and since then it’s been really good,” she said of her improved stroke.

It’s been such a revelation that LeBlanc has expanded the grip pressure change to her full swing too.

“Keeping a light grip, very light grip pressure and trying to relax my arms through the swing, take any tension out of the swing. That’s what I’ve been trying to work on the most. It’s really harder than it sounds on the full swing, for me, anyway,” she explained.

“I feel like things are coming together if I can trust things on the course and just get out of my own way, pretty much.

“All these little things and trying to keep it simple on the course and trying not to put too much pressure on myself which is probably the hardest thing to do.”

As it turns out, a lighter touch is what LeBlanc has always needed, in more ways than one.

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

From September 18–22, Golf Canada will be celebrating all those who donate towards a Golf in Schools kit this year during the second annual Adopt a School Week.

The week will represent a coast-to-coast celebration to mark the efforts of all Golf in Schools adoptions taking place during that week, in addition to all adoptions that occur throughout the year.

In 2016, 234 new schools were adopted, introducing an average of 120 students per school to the game of golf.

Since the program’s inception in 2009, adoptions have accounted for close to 50% of the over 3,200 registered schools delivering the curriculum. As a result, Golf Canada, the PGA of Canada the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA), and all provincial partners have aligned to celebrate the generosity of golf enthusiasts across the country.

“As partners, we recognize the value of Golf in Schools adoptions—getting Canada’s youth exposed to the sport of golf in the regular school curriculum is critical to the continued growth of our sport at the entry level,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “At the same time, adopting a school into this program presents a great business opportunity for facilities as well. Through the process of adopting a school, a connection is established between the school, its students and the golf facility. After experiencing golf at school, the natural transition to an established golf facility will ideally result in more young golfers.”

Every student should experience the wonders of golf. With each school adoption, facilities can help make this vision a reality. By adopting a school, the donor donates the full program kit which includes age-appropriate golf clubs and a teacher-friendly learning resource. Developed in conjunction with the PGA of Canada and Physical Health Education (PHE) Canada, the learning resource now incorporates Life Skills into the curriculum—placing added focus on transferrable skills both on and off the golf course.

Following Adopt a School Week, Golf Canada will be announcing all elementary, intermediate and high school adoptions conducted in 2017.

Find out more or adopt a school in your community at golfcanada.ca/adoptaschool