Mackenzie Hughes, of Dundas, Ont., arrived at the TPC Sawgrass with no scar tissue and played his first round at The Players Championship with no bogeys.

Pretty simple, eh?

The Canadian rookie shook his head and laughed. Even after going bogey-free in his debut Thursday for a 5-under 67 to share the lead with William McGirt, Hughes saw enough of the Players Stadium Course to realize that surprises lurk around every corner.

“There’s just not really a moment where you can let up,” Hughes said.

No need explaining that to Adam Scott, who won The Players in 2004 and was off to a strong start on a steamy afternoon when he was 6 under and heading to the infamous par-3 17th with its island green.

First, he watched Masters champion Sergio Garcia hit a gap wedge that took one big hop, land just behind the cup and disappear for a hole-in-one.

A HOLE-IN-ONE … in 360!

Let’s take a unique look at @TheSergioGarcia‘s ace at @THEPLAYERSChamp …#PGATOUR360 ◀️SWIPE▶️ pic.twitter.com/0VhyRdXWsM

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 11, 2017

Scott followed by spinning a shot off the bank and into the water for a double bogey, and he compounded that with another double bogey.

“I played some good golf out there and unfortunately not on the last two,” Scott said after settling for a 70. “It happens.”

At least he had company.

Dustin Johnson’s first wedge of the day hit the pin, caromed off the green and led to bogey. On a day when nothing seemed to go his way, the world’s No. 1 player opened with a 71. Rory McIlroy went to tap in from 2 feet and missed it, and then had to make one twice that long for his double bogey on the 10th hole. He shot 73.

Through it all, Hughes was rock solid. Only twice did he have par putts longer than 3 feet, and he made them both. The last piece of stress came on the final hole when trees block his way to the green. To chip out sideways would risk chipping into the water. He found a 4-foot wide window in which he had to keep it under on branch and go over two more. It was a large enough gap and the perfect shot for a 6-iron.

“I was close enough to the trees. It paid off,” said Hughes, who already has won (Sea Island) in his rookie season on the PGA Tour.

Mackenzie Hughes shares the lead at THE PLAYERS

See and hear what he had to say after a solid opening round ? pic.twitter.com/p9LJw6Ug6n

— Mackenzie Tour (@PGATOURCanada) May 12, 2017

McGirt played in morning and made a pair of eagles on the back nine to atone in his round of 67.

Among those at 68 was Jon Rahm, another first-timer at this lucrative event who had one of four bogey-free rounds on the steamy day in north Florida. Even with a mild wind in the afternoon, just over a third of the field broke par.

Fast starts and bad finishes were the norm, and not just for Scott.

Defending champion Jason Day ran off two straight birdies after making the turn and was in the lead at 5 under, which for the former world No. 1 was a peculiar position. He hasn’t won since The Players last year. Day, however, made three bogeys over his last four holes and had to settle for a 70.

He was playing in the same group as Rickie Fowler, the 2015 champion who also got off to a fast start until one bad shot – a really bad shot – on his 15th hole at the par-4 seventh. From the middle of the fairway, Fowler blocked it so badly to the right that it hit a cart path and went deep into the pines. It took him two shots to get out and he made double bogey. Fowler also shot 70.

Fowler managed to see the big picture.

“No one’s going crazy low or anything like that,” he said.

Garcia’s round was different. He made three bogeys and a double bogey in his opening six holes and went out in 40, the first nine holes of competition he has played since winning the Masters a month ago. He felt nerves on the first tee when he was introduced as the Masters champion.

“The feeling was great,” he said. “I think I wasn’t quite in the tournament because of everything that’s been going on after the Masters win and media and people congratulating you left, right and centre. I felt like I was a little bit up in the clouds, and when I woke up, I was 4 over after six.”

Johnson still has only two rounds in the 60s out of 27 attempts at the Stadium Course. He could accept this 71 just because of all that went wrong – the wedge that hit the pin on No. 1, birdie putts that spun around the holes at Nos. 2 and 12. Johnson rallied late with a 25-foot eagle putt on the 16th hole.

“It could have been really good today, but ended up just being OK,” Johnson said.

McGirt was among 13 players from the morning draw who shot in the 60s, but he was the only player to get as low as 6 under until he missed a short par putt on the final hole. Told that no one had made eagle on both par 5s on the back nine in the opening round, McGirt didn’t have an answer.

“Good numbers at a good time, made a good swing at a good time,” McGirt said. “You just kind of see the shot and hit the shot and see the putt and hit the putt.”

He made it sound simple, even though the Players Stadium Course can be anything but that

Brantford, Ont., native David Hearn, is T18 after an opening round 70.

The full leaderboard can be seen here.

Golf Canada’s first junior golf championship of 2017 is set to take place this week as the Future Links, driven by Acura Pacific Championship gets underway at Chilliwack Golf Club in Chilliwack, B.C., from May 12-14.

With support from British Columbia Golf, the Future Links, driven by Acura Pacific Championship is the first of six regional junior championships presented in partnership with Acura. The 54-hole stroke play tournament will begin with a practice round on May 11 before the tournament gets underway with round one on May 12.

Established in 1958, Chilliwack Golf Club will be hosting its first ever Future Links Championship. Located 45 minutes east of Vancouver, the course features tree lined fairways, a creek that runs through the back nine and mountain backdrops visible in every direction.

“We are very pleased to open the 2017 championship season in Chilliwack,” said Susan White, the Tournament Director and Senior Manager of Field Operations for B.C. Golf. “The Future Links, driven by Acura Championships are fantastic events for Canada’s premier junior golfers to showcase their skills. Chilliwack Golf Club is in tremendous shape and we look forward to seeing this strong field of juniors challenge the course.”

The field will consist of 87 junior golfers in the junior boys’ division with the top six earning exemptions into the 2017 Canadian Junior Boys Championship on July 31-Aug. 3 at Cataraqui Golf & Country Club in Kingston, Ont. A tie for the sixth position will be decided by a playoff following the conclusion of play.

The junior girls’ division will consist of 33 golfers with the top six (including ties) earning an exemption into the 2017 Canadian Junior Girls Championship on Aug. 1-4 at Camelot Golf & Country Club in Cumberland, Ont.

Five additional Future Links, driven by Acura Championships will span the country this summer.

May 26-28 – Future Links, driven by Acura Ontario – Brockville, Ont. – Brockville Country Club.

June 2-4 – Future Links, driven by Acura Quebec – Sherbrooke, Que. – Club de golf Milby.

July 4-6 – Future Links, driven by Acura Prairie – Estevan, Sask. – TS&M Woodlawn Golf Club.

July 11-13 – Future Links, driven by Acura Western – Fernie, B.C. – Fernie Golf & Country Club.

July 18-20 – Future Links, driven by Acura Atlantic – Church Point, N.S. – Clare Golf & County Club.

Additional information regarding the 2017 Future Links, driven by Acura Pacific Championship, including participants, start times and up-to-date results can be found here.

NOTABLES

Mary Parsons of Delta, B.C.
The 17-year-old comes in as the event’s defending champion. She would go on to place third at the 2016 Canadian Junior Girls Championship. A Team Canada Development Squad member who ranked No. 1 on the Future Links, driven by Acura junior girls Order of Merit in 2016.

A.J. Ewart of Coquitlam, B.C.
Team member on Canada’s Development Squad who topped the 2016 Future Links, driven by Acura junior boys Order of Merit. He finished at T11, five shots back, in last year’s tournament, and went on to place T14 in the Canadian Junior Boys Championship.

Chandler McDowell of Springbrook, Alta.
The Team Canada Development Squad member finished at T5 at last year’s championship, the highest of all returning players in the boys division. Was No. 3 on 2016’s Future Links, driven by Acura junior boys Order of Merit. At the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship he finished at T14, nine shots back of the leader.

Hannah Lee of Surrey, B.C.
No. 6 on 2016’s Future Links, driven by Acura junior girls Order of Merit, and finished in 13th at the 2016 Pacific Championship. Won the 2016 B.C. Juvenile Girls Championship.

Monet Chun of Richmond Hill, Ont.
Team Canada Development Squad member ranked No. 2 on the Future Links, driven by Acura junior girls Order of Merit. Won both the 2016 Golf Quebec Junior Spring Open and the 2016 Future Links, driven by Acura Quebec Championship.

Mitchell Thiessen of Chilliwack, B.C.
The 18-year-old will be playing on his home course at Chilliwack Golf Club. He is coming off a T2 finish at the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour series opener last month. His best finish of 2016 was a T7, also at the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour series opener.

FAST FACTS

In 2017, Golf Canada is conducting its six regional Future Links, driven by Acura championships in conjunction with the Provincial Associations.

Top six finishers in the boys’ division earn exemptions into the 2017 Canadian Junior Boys Championship.

Top six finishers (including ties) in the girls’ division earn exemptions into the 2017 Canadian Junior Girls Championship.

Canadian LPGA Tour star Brooke Henderson won the tournament in 2013.

Defending champion Mary Parsons went wire-to-wire in her 2016 victory.

Tony Gil won the junior boys tournament in 2016, also going wire-to-wire.

The Special Olympics held a Future Links golf tournament on May 10 at Chilliwack Golf Club in preparation for the tournament.

Friday’s pairings.

More information on the event can be found here.

Admission to the event is open to the public at no charge.

ABOUT THE COURSE

Junior Boys: 6,427 yards, Par 72; CR/Slope 70.5/121

Junior Girls: 5,990 yards, Par 72; CR/Slope 74.1/128

Established in 1958

Hey, kids. Don’t let your parents read this. Let’s keep this our secret, OK?

Yeah, I’m a parent with three grown kids but, more importantly, I am a grandfather and we all know that grandparents are the best. Right?

So here’s my advice: Tell your parents you want to go to golf camp this summer.

But do it reluctantly, like it’s their idea. Parents like to think they are in charge. Just humour them and try not to doze off when they’re rambling on.

But be prepared for the usual parent stuff.

Even if they don’t golf, they’re going to natter on about how golf will make you a better person and, perhaps, a better student at school. (Yawn.)

They’ll lecture you about how most golf camps embrace the Future Links concept that not only makes you a better golfer but educates you in some valuable life skills: two core life skills (focus and sportspersonship) and six associated skills (perseverance, goal setting, emotional regulation, honesty, teamwork and respect).

But who wants to think about school right now? You’re more interested in enjoying the summer and a week or two at golf camp is the way to go. You might even persuade your folks to get you a junior membership at a local course. It’s a great way to enjoy the summer out of doors with your friends. But let them think that was their idea.

“All our kids leave with a big smile on their faces,” says Jake Patte of Geared To Golf. His innovative programs attract kids who are new to golf as well as those who want to get better. He even invites parents to come on the last day of camp for a barbecue and a scramble with the kids.

At my course, Midland Golf and Country Club in Ontario, some camps are paired with other activities, like hockey, robotics, rocketry, fishing, and mountain biking.

Most courses can provide you with clubs, so you don’t need to bring your own. Similarly, even if you don’t go to a camp with your friends, you are sure to meet new ones there. Guaranteed.

Just about every summer golf camp is organized by a PGA of Canada professional who has a background in instruction and understands the Future Links concept. That ensures you will not only learn about the game but have a great time.

If you’ve never golfed before, you’re in good company. Whether you’re five years old or 15, it doesn’t matter. Camps are designed to make you feel welcome and to have fun. Some courses even have specific weeks just for beginners as well as girls-only sessions.

So go to golf camp this summer. If you do, you’ll not only enjoy the game for the rest of your life, but get to play with your parents and, most importantly, your grandparents. You’ll make memories that will last you a lifetime.

Maybe it’s time you schooled your parents about going to golf camp this summer!

Check out Golf Canada’s junior camps and clinics, to to find one that’s right for you.

Not quite 150 but turning 144 years old this year is a club in Montreal that can be considered Canadian royalty

Almost as old as Canada itself, the rich history of The Royal Montreal Golf Club can be borderline overwhelming. Just try scouring the vast archive of Canadian golf history and not stumbling across its numerous mentions. You can’t. You won’t.

The club’s lofty stature dates back to when Queen Victoria sat on the throne. Interestingly, her father, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, is dubbed the “Father of the Canadian Crown” for his contributions to Canada’s development, though it is partly Royal Montreal’s contributions that have been key to Canadian golf’s development.

Founded in 1873, it is regarded as the oldest golf club in North America and has both witnessed and participated in the rise of the game on this side of the Atlantic. According to the club, the individual most credited with its creation is Alexander Dennistoun.

He was an accomplished golfer in his native Scotland before becoming Royal Montreal’s first club captain and president. Dennistoun transported fond memories from St. Andrews, Royal Liverpool and Musselburgh to Fletcher’s Field, part of Montreal’s Mount Royal Park and the first of the club’s three homes. It wasn’t until 1959 that the club settled in its current location on Ile Bizard.

The initial meeting of the Montreal Golf Club — whose prefix Royal was granted by Queen Victoria in 1884 and has preserved every one of its meeting minutes since inception — included eight members, all of whom agreed an entrance fee and annual membership would cost $25 and membership would be capped at 25 members. Also, that each would adhere to the rules administered by the Royal and Ancient GC of St. Andrews.

In the years that followed, several notable members would join. Among them were Sir Alexander Galt, one of the founding fathers of Confederation; Sir William Hingston, Montreal’s mayor in the mid-1870s; and George A. Drummond, who spent time as a Quebec senator, leader of the Redpath Sugar Refinery and president of the Bank of Montreal. In 1895, when Royal Montreal was among the founding clubs that formed the Royal Canadian Golf Association, it was Drummond who was elected the inaugural president.

Before that though, Royal Montreal had already become the first Canadian club to hire a professional in 1881, doing so a decade before Royal Ottawa hired its first. As the game continued to spread and more club pros were hired, it necessitated the organization of an open tournament to determine the best player — amateur or professional — in the nation. The result was the Canadian Open, a 36-hole stroke-play event in 1904 contested at, of course, Royal Montreal.

The club has hosted nine editions of the championship since then, most recently in 2014 when Tim Clark found the winner’s circle. Pat Fletcher, Royal Montreal’s head professional from 1955-75, remains the last Canadian to have hoisted the coveted trophy.

RBC Canadian Open winners at Royal Montreal

1904 – John Oke
1908 – Albert Murray
1913 – Albert Murray
1926 – Macdonald Smith
1950 – Jim Ferrier
1975 – Tom Weiskopf
1980 – Bob Gilder
1997 – Steve Jones
2001 – Scott Verplank
2014 – Tim Clark

In 1973, for the club’s centenary, it invited and hosted foursomes from all 65 of the other Royal clubs in the world along with representatives from Golf Canada, USGA, R&A, Golf Australia and other associations.

“It’s the history and the tradition that form the architecture of Royal Montreal,” explains Denzil Palmer, the club’s general manager and secretary for 28 years.

“Every club around the world is concerned about two things: the attraction of new members and the retention of current members. People join our club and people stay at our club because of the historical significance, and there’s great pride at the club from all of its members.”

Royal Montreal’s prestige is not only heralded in Canada but in the global golf community. Its Blue Course — rated high on golf course ranking lists for years and among 45 holes on the property — was selected to host the 2007 Presidents Cup, the only Canadian venue to have drawn the event thus far. It provided an exciting backdrop all week, and few Canadian golf fans can forget homegrown hero Mike Weir outdueling Tiger Woods in a Sunday singles match.

“The PGA Tour pros who visited during the Canadian Open and the Presidents Cup all referred to the library and the leather lounge as ‘a museum to golf in North America,’” adds Palmer, referencing the significant collection of memorabilia at the club. “The original six-hole layout, for example, on Mount Royal in 1873, that ink sketch is still framed and displayed for the members. We have a lot of historical photos, drawings and other artifacts and gifts presented to the club.”

Aside from pros, Royal Montreal still participates in highly anticipated annual interclub matches between Royal Quebec Golf Club (oldest Canadian interclub match) The Country Club at Brookline (world’s oldest international club match) and others that trace back to its roots. Those competitions were the original Weir-and-Woods battles of their time, and the inspiration behind affiliating members.

Without those matches — dating back to 1876 with Royal Quebec, 1898 with Brookline — and without the passionate pioneers of a century ago that sought to open these clubs, perhaps the Canadian golf landscape would look a lot different.

This article was originally published in the April 2017 edition of Golf Canada Magazine. Click here to view the full magazine.

National Amateur Squad members Maddie Szeryk and Jaclyn Lee both finished inside the top-15 on Wednesday at the Columbus Regional to advance to the NCAA Championships.

Szeryk, a junior at Texas A&M, held the 36-hole lead at Ohio State University’s Scarlet Course with a score of 1-under par (73-70).

The London, Ont., resident struggled in the final round with seven bogeys and a double bogey to card a 7-over par, 79. She finished in 10th place, six shots back of Kelly Grassel (Florida) and Ana Pelaez (South Carolina) who were co-medallists at even par.

Texas A&M failed to advance as a team to the NCAA Championships, finishing outside the top-6, but Szeryk qualified as an individual for the event.

.@mszeryk has qualified as an individual to the 2017 NCAA Championships in Sugar Grove, Ill. May 19-22. She finished 10th with a 222 (+6). pic.twitter.com/DlnBNWAK6P

— Texas A&M W Golf (@aggiewomensgolf) May 10, 2017

The third-year Team Canada product was recently named to the All-SEC team for the third consecutive year, thanks to nine top-10 finishes this season.

Lee, a sophmore at Ohio State, entered Wednesday’s final round two shots back of Szeryk at 1-over par (73-72).

The Calgary native struggled to find her game, posting three bogeys and a double bogey on the back nine to close with a 79 (+7). She finished T13 at 8-over par for the tournament, eight back of the medallists.

The Buckeyes finished 4th in the team competition and will advance to the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive season.

The Buckeyes are officially heading to the NCAA Championships with a 4th place finish in the NCAA Columbus Regional. pic.twitter.com/U1ULfICKL4

— Ohio State W Golf (@OhioState_WGOLF) May 10, 2017

Lee, the Buckeyes stroke average leader heading into the weekend, will look to lead Ohio State to their first NCAA title in program history on May 19-24 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill.

The full leaderboard can be seen here.

Winning is good, but winning with one of the most important people in your life by your side is even better.

That’s exactly what happened when Stephane Dubois rolled in his putt for par on the 18th green at Beacon Hall Golf Club during the U.S. Open Local Qualifier on Monday.

He recorded a tie for the low-score of the day at 1-under with Chase Komaromi and secured himself a spot at the U.S. Open Sectional Qualifier, the final step to the second major on the PGA Tour this season.

And by his side the entire time, playing the role of caddie, was none other than his mom, the person who knows him better than any other.

“My demeanour with her on the bag makes me much more calm and relaxed,” he said, immediately after he finished his round. “It puts things into perspective because when you can appreciate that we’re lucky enough to play a game for a living, everything else becomes kind of secondary.”

“I really like having her on the bag, she’s a great support and I wouldn’t pick anyone else.”

The mother-son, golfer-caddie relationship started back when the 25-year-old was younger, still an amateur and mainly playing during the summers. When he turned professional, he began going to a lot more tournaments, more often and she had less opportunities to take time off from her part-time job, but he didn’t turn to another caddie; he just carried his bag himself.

But when their schedules line up, she’s his number one pick to have at his side.

“I love having her out there,” he said. “Even if she’s just pushing the cart, she’s there for me. I love that.”

It’s not so much that his mother is an expert in golf and knows what kind of shot should be played at any given time, but she’s an expert in a more important area: Dubois himself.

“She’s not an outstanding golfer, and she’d be the first one to admit that, but she knows me better than anyone else,” he said. “As far as the golf game goes, she can appreciate a good shot and a bad shot or when I’m happy and when I’m frustrated, but beyond that she kind of just lets me play.”

As to whether or not Dubois’ mother is hard on him out on the links, she typically leaves the criticism for when she stops assuming the role of caddie, and resumes the role of mom.

“She’s much harder on me when I don’t do the dishes at home than if I leave one short in the water.”

A ring on his finger. New clubs in his golf bag.

If marriage and a new equipment deal were not enough for Rory McIlroy, he also was presented with his own bobblehead for winning the FedEx Cup last year. That’s the only thing that made him feel old.

“All these wrinkles around my eyes,” McIlroy said Tuesday as he gazed at the doll. “It makes me look like I’ve been tour two decades instead of one.”

He is about to complete his 10th full year as a pro, and it’s been a reasonable ride. McIlroy, who turned 28 on Thursday, already has 21 victories around the world and four major championships.

But he’s gone through quite a bit since he tied for seventh at the Masters.

“I needed to address a few issues in between Augusta and here, and I did that with the first 10 days after Augusta,” McIlroy said.

That was related to his equipment, and McIlroy wound up with his fourth brand of clubs in the last five years. He left Titleist for Nike to start 2013, and when Nike got out of the club-making business last year, he began using Callaway. He still wasn’t entirely comfortable, especially with the golf ball, so McIlroy went back to testing and wound up signing a long-term deal with TaylorMade.

“I came to the conclusion that was the best way forward for me to try and improve, try and win more, try to get back to world No. 1, try to win more majors,” McIlroy said.  “So I’m really excited about that.”

Time to show the world what you’re really made of.

Welcome to the family, Rory. #TeamTaylorMade pic.twitter.com/akofFlZI1X

— TaylorMade Golf (@TaylorMadeGolf) May 9, 2017

He was excited about his wedding, too.

McIlroy met his bride, Erica Stoll, nearly five years ago when she worked for the PGA of America in transportation for the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah. Stoll played a big part in sparing him major embarrassment when McIlroy forgot he was in the Central time zone and needed a police escort to the course. He got there with minutes to spare and won his match, and Europe staged a record-tying comeback.

They married two weeks ago in Ireland and spent their honeymoon in the Caribbean.

“It was obviously the best weekend of my life, and hopefully, the best weekend of Erica’s, as well,” he said. “It seems like with everything that’s went on the last few weeks – with getting married and teaming up with TaylorMade – it seems like everything’s very settled. There’s not many question marks going on in my life right now. I feel like everything’s exactly where it’s meant to be, and if you feel like that off the golf course, then I can only imagine that it will help you on it.”

And now it’s back to work.

McIlroy, whose combined 95 weeks atop the world ranking are the most of any player since 2010, is at No. 2. But he’s so far behind Dustin Johnson that he could win The Players Championship and the U.S. Open and still not catch up to Johnson.

McIlroy has not won anywhere in the world since his playoff victory in the Tour Championship last year to capture the FedEx Cup. This week doesn’t figure to be any easier, not so much because it has the strongest and deepest field in golf, but because of the nature of the Stadium Course on the TPC Sawgrass.

It doesn’t really favour any style of play.

“It is the toughest tournament to win in golf,” Jordan Spieth said.

For all his greatness, McIlroy didn’t even break par at The Players until his fourth appearance. He missed the cut three straight times, though he has shown steady improvement in recent years. Even so, he has never been closer than four shots of the winner.

“I’ve always felt that driving is a big advantage for me if I can drive the ball well,” McIlroy said. “Here, it just doesn’t let me do that, and earlier on in my career I had to come to terms with that and come to terms with hitting the ball in the same positions as everyone else off the tee and then trying to beat them in from there.”

Johnson arrived Tuesday fresh off a runner-up finish in the Wells Fargo Championship that ended his three-tournament winning streak. The defending champion is Jason Day, who went wire to wire a year ago. That was his last victory. No one has ever won back to back since The Players began in 1974.

“As well as all the great players who have won here, they all have different styles of game,” Adam Scott said. “So I think that the course is open to so many different guys to have a chance to win that maybe that’s why it makes it a little bit harder to have someone go back to back here. There’s just more guys in the mix.”

Keith Martin, of Kelowna, B.C., and Derek Barron, from Lakewood, Wash., both shot 5-under par-66’s to share medallist honours at Bear Mountain Resort, host of the first of three RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifying events.

“I’ve been striking the ball really well the last two weeks,” said Martin. “At Mackenzie Tour Q-School last week I finished with a 70 on the last day and putted really well too, so I just carried that momentum through to today.”

Martin started off strong and never looked back. He finished the front-nine with a scorching 5-under par 30, making back-to-back birdies on holes three and four, another birdie on eight, and holing out for eagle on nine.

Riding the momentum of earning an exemption for the first four events of the season at Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Q-School last week, Barron started off hot as well.

He birdied four of his first five holes and didn’t drop a stroke until recording back-to-back bogeys on 15 and 16. He then closed with consecutive birdies on 17 and 18.

Thirty-two local and international golfers in total competed for one of six spots to move on to the final RBC Canadian Open Qualifier at Heron Point Golf Links in Ancaster, Ont., on July 24.

In addition to Martin and Barron, four others earned a spot at the final qualifier.

Lucas Herbert, who finished 32nd on the PGA of Australia Order of Merit in 2016, fired 2-under par 69, good for solo third.

Riley Wheeldon, the 2016 medallist from Comox, B.C., Danny Sahl, from Sherwood Park, Alta., and Chile’s Horacio Leon, who’s coming off a win at Mackenzie Tour PGA of Canada Q-School last week, all recorded 1-under par 70’s to round out the six golfers to advance.

In total, there are three regional qualifying events, each consisting of 18 holes of stroke play. Provided that there are 100 or more players in the field, the low qualifier receives an exemption directly into the 2017 RBC Canadian Open.

Otherwise, the top 15 percent of finishers at each qualifier become eligible to compete at the final qualifying event, as was the case at Bear Mountain.

A minimum of four players from the 18-hole stroke play Final Qualifier at Heron Point will gain entry into the RBC Canadian Open field.

There are two more regional qualifying events before the final qualifier:

May 15 – Blue Springs Golf Club in Acton, Ont.

June 5 – Club de golf de la Vallée du Richelieu on the Rouville Course in Sainte-Julie, Que.

Additional information regarding Tuesday’s RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifier at Bear Mountain, can be found here.

National Amateur Squad members Maddie Szeryk and Jaclyn Lee hold the top two spots through 36 holes of the NCAA Columbus Regional at Ohio State University’s Scarlet Course in Columbus.

Szeryk, a junior at Texas A&M, carded a 2-under 70 on Tuesday to register the tournament’s low score, lifting her to sole possession of first place at 1-under par heading into Wednesday’s final round. The 20-year-old London, Ont., resident owns a two-stroke advantage over Lee and Van Dievoet, who share second place. The third-year Team Canada product was recently named to the All-SEC team for the third consecutive year.

Lee, a Calgary native, sits at 1-over par (73-72) for the tournament following a 72 (E) on Tuesday. The Ohio State sophomore led the Buckeyes in stroke advantage through the 2016-17 season, averaging 73.21 across 28 rounds, including five top-10 finishes.

Lee’s performance has the Buckeyes in second place, primed to grab one of the top-six spots to advance to the NCAA Championships from May 19-24. Szeryk and the Aggies sit just outside the number in 7th place, two strokes back of the sixth and final spot.

Team Canada’s Naomi Ko was also in action at the Albuquerque Regional for N.C State. The Victoria, B.C. product struggled with rounds of 78-82 to sit T89.

The full leaderboard for the Columbus Regional can be seen here.

The results have not been coming quite as quickly for Brooke Henderson in her second year on the LPGA Tour.

Henderson has two top-10 finishes through 10 events this season – by no means a sophomore slump, but well behind her pace of eight top-10 results through nine events as a rising rookie last year. However, the confident 19-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., believes a breakout will happen soon.

“It’s been a little disappointing, some of the results, but I feel like my game is extremely close,” Henderson said Tuesday at an Ottawa-area charity golf tournament while making a rare visit home. “It’s just one or two shots every week.”

“I’m really excited about the upcoming tournaments and hopefully I can switch the momentum and finish near the top.”

Henderson’s best finish has been a tie for fourth and the HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore earlier this year. She finished tied for 14th at the ANA Inspiration, the first major on the LPGA Tour schedule in late March. She has her sights set on the other four majors on the calendar, including the KPMG Women’s Championship, where she will be the defending champion.

She played the most out of anyone on the LPGA Tour last year and said she has been able to apply that learning. She admitted she will take two weeks off later this summer to make sure her “focus and mental strength is where it needs to be.”

“Playing all the courses last year, this year I knew where to hit it. I knew where the good spots and the bad spots were, even in the hotels I felt more comfortable and the surroundings.” she said. “Every golf course I see, everywhere I go and get to do `more’ it makes me feel better for this year, and for years to come.”

She said she’s particularly looking forward to the CP Women’s Open in August at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club. Henderson was recently bestowed an honorary membership to that club, which last hosted the Women’s Open in 2008.

She knows it will be a pressure-packed week.

“Almost every week I think about the CP Women’s Open in the back of my mind,” she said. “When there are TV cameras or crowds around I think about how it’s going to be at the CP Women’s Open and take every week as a stepping stone. I know it’s going to be pressure filled.

“There are going to be a lot of expectations for sure, and I don’t want to disappoint. I want to give them a good show.”

But the pressure, she said, is something she’s starting to relish.

“I do think there are a lot of expectations on me, but I love pressure and I think it’s just what you make of it,” she said.

And despite more than US$2 million in earnings in her career, rolling up to the course in a new BMW SUV, and just having procured a home in Naples, Fla., Henderson remains a teenager at heart.

She said she’s binge-watches the show White Collar on Netflix, follows her hometown Ottawa Senators during their Stanley Cup playoff run, has a penchant for Disney films and is a big texter away from the golf course.

“It’s nothing too crazy,” she said. “Just a typical teenager.”

Henderson will take the rest of this week off, staying in her hometown of Smiths Falls visiting with family and friends  – she has not been back since Christmas – before going to Williamsburg, Va., for the next event on the LPGA Tour schedule.

“I love being home, even though it’s like December here, it’s so cold,” she said. “I’m excited to get back playing again next week in Virginia, and hopefully have some great finishes.”