MESA, ARIZONA, March 30, 2017 – Anne-Catherine Tanguay (Quebec, Canada) continued her stellar start to the 2017 season with a 6-under, 66 to lead after day one of the Gateway Classic at Longbow Golf Club. Tanguay, a Team Canada Young Pro Squad member, made five birdies and an eagle to shoot her low round of the season. Former UCLA All-American Stephanie Kono (Honolulu, Hawaii) is one back at 5-under, 67. There are five players two off the lead including Chandler, Ariz. native Kyung Kim, who was the 2010 Arizona High School Player of the Year. 

There are ten players within three shots of the lead. 

Tanguay, who ranks third on the Volvik Race for the Card money list with two top 10 finishes to start the season, has posted seven straight under-par rounds. 

“It was a good day, I got the putter rolling,” said Tanguay, who needed just 27 putts. “I had a really good par save on 12 and that really keep me rolling and then the eagle on 15. As the round went on, I kept hitting it closer and closer. Being in good position off the tee gave me good chances from the fairway and I think the pins were pretty accessible today.”

Tanguay had 225 yards to the pin on the par-5 15th. 

“I just had a downhill lie so I hit a bullet down towards the flag and it was a great shot and it fed to the green,” explained Tanguay. “I drained a 25-footer and just gave myself chances.”

Tanguay felt her putter was a tad light during practice for the IOA Championship last week. So, she found a Golf  Galaxy an hour from Beaumont and drove mid-week to pick up lead tape to add weight to the bottom of her putter.

“My putter is now 10 grams heavier and since then it has been rolling really good.” 

In seven rounds this year on the Symetra Tour, Tanguay is 19-under with no over-par rounds.

“These are the best seven consecutive rounds that I’ve had because of how consistent they are,” explained Tanguay. “I’m just really happy with where my game is at right now.”

The 26-year-old is familiar with Longbow Golf Club. While in college at Oklahoma, she played in the Culver Cup at Longbow Golf Club. 

“It’s great to be back and I really like to play golf courses again to test my game,” said Tanguay. “Arizona golf is great. I had a lot of wedges in and a lot of opportunities. The greens are rolling really, really pure and it was a fun day overall.”

Meanwhile, Kono made three birdies on her front nine and two on the back. She did not have a blemish on her scorecard.

“I hit almost every fairway and I only missed two greens where I had to chip so I gave myself a ton of 

chances,” explained Kono, who made birdies on both nine and 18. “I started off hitting the ball really well. It felt like I could go even lower, but 5-under isn’t too bad.”

Kono has had great success at Longbow Golf Club in the past. She finished third in 2013 and T4 in 2015. 

“I have some good memories here and I like playing desert golf,” said the former UCLA Bruins golfer. “I like seeing the ball go far and the greens are a little easier to read.”

Kono has a unique routine after each round. She purchased a Trackman in the middle of 2016 and uses it before and after each round she plays.

“The Trackman gives me certain numbers and I try to hit them to work out distance control,” explained Kono. “It has really helped my wedge game and keeps me consistent.”

Kono has conditional LPGA Tour status and expects to bounce back-and-forth between the two tours. She made 14 starts on the LPGA in 2016. 

SEPMOREE’S CONFIDENCE GROWING; AIR FORCE CONNECTION: Katelyn Sepmoree (Tyler, Tx.), who celebrated her 26th birthday last week in Beaumont, turned in a 4-under, 68 to start the Gateway Classic at Longbow Golf Club. 

“Even last week when I missed the cut, I was hitting it well but I couldn’t get some putts to fall and today they fell,” explained Sepmoree. “My caddy and I have worked really hard on the greens to get the speed down and get comfortable over it (ball) and it showed up today.”

Sepmoree made eight birdies including a stretch on the back nine when she dropped four in a row between 11 and 14. 

“It’s a mindset that I have to get in to get the ball to the hole,” said Sepmoree, who classified herself as a “die putter” where the ball slowly drops into the hole rather then speeding right in. “I just have to be more aggressive.”

Sepmoree is now in her fourth year on the Symetra Tour and hopes that her comfort leads her to the LPGA.

“It’s all about confidence,” said Sepmoree. “There is nothing that surprises me anymore, I know the ropes. With everything I’ve done in my life, it has taken baby steps and I just need to keep taking them and I’ll get there (LPGA).”

Sepmoree said that while she’d love to be on the LPGA, she’s not surprised by the slow climb. It took her “awhile” in college to settle down and play well.

Sepmoree celebrated her birthday by going on a 14-mile hike in Beaumont on Sunday. With so many hiking trails in greater Phoenix, she is considering going on another this week. 

Off the course, Sepmore is a huge supporter of the military. Her ball marker showcases the group “Hope for the Warriors” and she started doing clinics at Air Force bases last year. Prior to the 2017 season, she helped lead a two-day clinic in Vegas at Nellis Air Force Base. Doug Quirie organizes clinics at Air Force bases around the world and utilizes professional golfers to help lead. 

“I met the coolest people,” said Sepmoree. “I’ve always loved the military and I’ve always said that if I wasn’t playing golf that I’d consider joining myself. If I don’t join the military, I want to give back some way and golf is a great outlet for them. I still have guys I met at Kirtland Air Force Base (New Mexico) that say ‘come back, come back, I want to play with you’ and that makes it totally worth it.”

RICHDALE CONTINUES HOT PLAY; CLOSING IN ON CAREER MONEY LIST: Samantha Richdale (Kelowna, Canada) turned in one of the better afternoon rounds, a 4-under, 68. Richdale made six birdies on the day. 

Richdale registered her 29th career top 10 finish to open the season at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic. She ranks 14th on the Volvik Race for the Card money list through two events.

Richdale could become the all-time career money leader in Symetra Tour history this week. She has earned $225,618 over 134 starts, only $504 short of all-time money earner Lori Atsedes. 

KEMPTER POSTS A 68 ON HER 30TH BIRTHDAY: Katie Kempter (Albuquerque, N.M.) got up-and-down from the greenside bunker on the ninth hole for birdie to post a 4-under, 68 late in the day when the wind was really blowing. 

“It was hard in the afternoon, the course got firm and fast,” said Kempter. “The wind made me focus a little more which was good for me. I’ve been struggling with my ball striking so this was really good for me.”

Kempter’s dad was on the bag and her mom is in town for her 30th birthday.

“Since I found out we’d be playing on my birthday, I was joking that I’d shoot a 62 since that would be my personal best,” joked Kempter. “I would have had to stop after the 16th hole today, but it was a good day. I’m not a huge birthday person, but it’s nice to have a good score when everyone is wishing you a happy birthday.”

Kempter said she hasn’t seen her parents on her birthday in 12 years. 

OF NOTE

• A total of 31 players are under-par after day one.

• Former Arizona State star Giulia Molinaro opened with a 2-under, 70.

• Laura Wearn (Charlotte, N.C.), who posted a 2-under, 70, recorded a 334-yard drive on the ninth hole.

• Liz Nagel (DeWitt, Mich.) holed out from 116 yards out on the par-4 13th hole for eagle en route to a 3-under, 69 to stand in a tie for eighth. 

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Michelle Wie was the teenage prodigy on this same desert course 14 years ago, showing off her precocious skills and a seemingly limitless future.

Now a wizened veteran of the LPGA Tour, the 27-year-old Wie saw reflections of her own journey Thursday while she played alongside 14-year-old Lucy Li, the newest wunderkind with a chance to dazzle the golf world at the ANA Inspiration.

“For sure, very mature for her age,” Wie said. “The way she played out there, her game did not seem 14. I was really impressed with her game and how she handles herself out there. She’s very calm and collected.”

Wie’s young playing partner still has things to learn from the pro, however. While Li opened with a 71, Wie shot a 4-under 68 to move one stroke behind leader Karine Icher of France before 35-mph winds shortened the opening day of competition at the first major of the year.

Four players were one shot behind Icher, including 17-year-old amateur Eun Jeong Seong, who had an early hole-in-one .

Half of the field in the LPGA Tour’s first major of the year was still on the course when play was stopped. The first round will resume Friday morning when the Coachella Valley calms down.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a 1-over 73 while Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., had a 7-over 79. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp was 3 over through 12 holes.

But an early tee time allowed Wie and Li to log their first round together. Li has known about Wie for her whole life, since she grew up in the San Francisco suburbs while Wie was attending Stanford and playing on the tour.

“I was really excited to play with her,” Li said. “She’s super nice, and we just had a lot of fun today. She played really well.”

Wie was only 13 when she debuted at this tournament, then called the Kraft Nabisco Championship, in 2003 as one of the most touted teenagers in golf history. She became the youngest player ever to make an LPGA cut on the Dinah Shore Course, finishing tied for ninth in her first major.

Li was almost six months old at the time.

While Wie has never dominated the tour as some anticipated, she won the U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst in 2014. That’s also where Wie met Li, then an 11-year-old who had just become the youngest person to qualify for the Open.

After missing the cut at Pinehurst, Li stayed for the weekend to watch Wie’s victory. Li then cracked the field of her second major last week by winning the ANA Junior Inspiration.

Wie hasn’t won an LPGA tournament since that U.S. Women’s Open breakthrough, and she missed the cut in three majors last year. Playing alongside the precocious teen caused Wie to reflect on her own beginnings in surprising ways.

“I feel like no one really called me cute back then,” the 6-foot Wie said with a laugh. “They were just like, ‘Damn, she’s big.’ You know? I was walking behind her today, and I was like, ‘You know, she’s really cute.’ No one really called me that when I was 13. ‘Damn, she’s tall.’ That’s all I got.”

Li is almost a foot shorter than Wie, and she’s already a junior in high school. She’s working on her Algebra II homework this weekend when she isn’t playing, and she recently indulged her interests in politics and history by reading Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals,” a 944-page examination of Abraham Lincoln and his cabinet.

“I’m probably a little more experienced than the last time (in a major), but it’s still very exciting,” Li said.

Lydia Ko, the defending ANA Inspiration champion and world No. 1, was 2 under through five holes in vicious wind before play was suspended.

Playing in her second major, the 17-year-old Seong aced the par-3 fifth, celebrating in disbelief after she put a 6-iron into the cup for this tournament’s first hole-in-one in five years. Although she plays sparingly on this side of the Pacific, Seong won the U.S. Women’s Amateur and the U.S. Girls’ Junior tournaments last year.

“I couldn’t see the hole, and then I just said, ‘Oh my God!”’ Seong said after the second hole-in-one of her career. “I don’t think about being one of the leaders. I’m just happy that I’m playing.”

Icher had seven birdies in an outstanding opening round.

HUMBLE, Texas – Rickie Fowler shot an 8-under 64 for a one-shot lead over Sung Kang after the first round of the Houston Open on Thursday.

Fowler had his best round in six appearances at the tournament, topping a previous low score of 68. Fowler overcame damp conditions and a chilly, breezy morning to jump to a hot start.

Fowler won last month at the Honda Classic and is trying to keep momentum going into the Masters next week. The Honda Classic win snapped a 13-month, 25-start drought for Fowler.

Fowler held a three-shot lead over Vaughn Taylor and Keegan Bradley when he finished his round in the afternoon, then Kang closed the gap with his 65. The 29-year-old South Korean missed a putt from less than 5 feet to bogey on 18. Still, compared to last year’s final round at the Houston Open when he shot a 6-over 78, he said he was satisfied with the improvement.

Kang is among the 115 players who need a victory to qualify for Augusta National, as Jim Herman did by winning in Houston last year. Among the 144 players in the Houston Open field, 29 already have invitations to play. It would have been 30, expect Dustin Johnson decided to take the week off after winning the Dell Technologies Match Play for his third straight victory.

Behind Fowler and Kang, Stewart Cink, Jhonattan Vegas and Kyle Stanley all shot 6-under 66. Jordan Spieth struggled at times and shot 3-under 69. Herman shot 2-over 74, while 2015 Houston Open winner J.B. Holmes shot 1-over 73.

Nick Taylor of Abbostsford, B.C., shot a 3-under 69 while Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., sits even after shooting a 72.

Kang said he doesn’t want to get too ahead of himself by eyeing a last-minute ticket to Augusta after the first round.

“I don’t know anything about the future, and whatever happens, happens,” Kang said. “I’ll just keep doing what I can do the next few days, and I’ll accept the results.”

Heavy rains cancelled the pro-am event at the Golf Club of Houston on Wednesday.

The sun dried out the course later in the day, and the greens began to play faster. Several players commented on the balancing act of avoiding the water hazards but also not overplaying the speedy greens, which are designed to mimic Augusta.

Fowler said he was fortunate to not have been too thrown off by the muddy conditions.

“I felt like I got some good breaks with having mud on the same side as where the trouble was and that I could kind of keep it fairly conservative,” Fowler said. “If the mud was kind of kicking in, it ended up being a good shot.”

On Thursday night, Fowler travelled 20 miles south to downtown Houston to throw out the first pitch at the Astros’ exhibition game against the Cubs. Fowler said he spent a lot of time with the Cardinals during spring training and said he’s a friend of Astros owner Jim Crane, who he has played golf with at the Floridian National Golf Club.

“It’s probably more nervous when you get out there on the mound than we really ever get or maybe close to Ryder Cup nerves,” Fowler said. “You’re just hoping not to screw up.”

The whirlwind that was March has earned Canadian golfer Adam Hadwin a honeymoon in Georgia.

The 29-year-old from Abbotsford, B.C., captured the Valspar Championship on March 12 for his first career PGA Tour win. Hadwin got married less than two weeks later and Wednesday he and his wife, Jessica, closed on their new house.

But the couple isn’t jetting off to an exotic honeymoon destination. Instead, they’ll head to Augusta, Ga., where Hadwin will play in his first Masters at Augusta National Golf Club.

“She’s probably not as excited as I am,” Hadwin said Thursday during a conference call. “I think she would’ve rather been in Bora Bora right now.

“We’re both excited, it’s going to be a great week. A lot of fun and certainly we’re always going to remember the first one.”

Hadwin secured the Masters invite with the Valspar Championship victory, along with the US$1.134-million winner’s cheque. After earning $1.067 million last season, Hadwin has already amassed over $2.5 million in 2017.

He also carded a third-round 59 en route to a second-place finish at the CareerBuilder Challenge in January. Hadwin stands fifth in the FedEX Cup standings with 1,140 points and has four top-10 finishes in 11 events this year.

“I think I’m still figuring out what’s going on, I’m a little bit lost,” Hadwin said. “Certainly, all very good things happening, a lot of great things in life right now.

“But certainly it’s been quite a whirlwind last month.”

However, there’s nothing quite like preparing for a first-ever appearance at the Masters to provide much-needed focus and perspective.

“If I can’t get up and get ready for that I don’t know what event I’ll be able to do that for,” Hadwin said. “I think now everything is settled . . . and I can really start to focus my energy on next week.”

Hadwin plans to leave for Augusta on Sunday and has a practice round scheduled for Tuesday with PGA Tour veteran Mike Weir of Bright’s Grove, Ont. In ’03, Weir became the first – and only – Canadian to win golf’s most prestigious major.

“I haven’t started picking Mike’s brain yet,” Hadwin said. “I don’t want to wear him out before we actually play.”

Hadwin said his earliest Masters recollection was 1997 when at age 10 he watched Tiger Woods emphatically capture his first major. Woods, then 21, obliterated the field with an 18-under, 270 total for a commanding 12-stroke victory.

“This was Tiger in general for many, many years,” Hadwin said. “Just the way he, to not put it lightly, just destroyed the field.

“He made the game look so easy for a long time, it wasn’t just ’97.”

Hadwin said there’s a sense of pride that comes with qualifying for the Masters.

“The way I view it is to get into the Masters you’ve had to do something special,” he said. “You have to be a top-50 player in the world, have finished the previous year in the top-30 in the Fed Ex Cup or you have to win.

“So it has this winners only, great players only type feel to it. I’m not downplaying the other majors by any stretch . . . I think it (Masters) has just a little bit of a heightened prestige around it.”

And it’s a tournament Hadwin has won 1,000 times – in his head.

“I’ve made many a putt at sunset to win the Masters while practising,” he said. “But I’m not approaching it any differently than I have any tournament all year.

“I’m going there with confidence. I’ve had success against great fields. It’s just a matter of preparing the best I can and seeing where my game stacks up against the best players.”

Hadwin said he’ll have butterflies when he tees it up for real next week but expects it to be a good nervousness.

“I think a lot of that is nervous excitement,” he said. “My goal is to prepare well enough Sunday through Wednesday so when I stand at the tee Thursday I’m going, ‘OK, let’s win this tournament. I’m ready to go, I’ve got full confidence.’ ”

And that includes knowing when to play it smart.

“What’s made me successful this year is I stay aggressive but I’m very conservatively aggressive, if that makes sense,” he said. “When I feel comfortable with a shot, I’m aggressive and can play it.

“Otherwise, I just lay up and my wedges have been so good that I’ve got full confidence I can do either. That course can be scored on by doing both. I don’t set a gameplan at the start of the week saying I’m going to lay up on all par-5s or I’m going to do this in all the tee boxes. It’s strictly on a hole-by-hole, day-by-day basis.”

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — The members of the Canadian contingent at the ANA Inspiration got a little bit more time to prepare for the first major of the golf season than they would have liked.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont, ranked 13th in the world, Alena Sharp of Hamilton and Maude-Aimee Leblanc, a native of Sherbrooke, Que., all missed the cut at last week’s LPGA Tour stop, the Kia Classic in Carlsbad, Calif.

But they chose to look at the opportunity to arrive at Mission Hills Country Club a couple of days early as a bonus.

“Sometimes having a weekend off before a major is good because it is more taxing on the mind,” said Sharp, who finished a career best 41st on the LPGA money list in 2016. “As the week goes on it gets firmer, the rough gets longer, we’re going to deal with wind. It’s going to be a test of the fittest, for sure, not so much physical, but mental. 

“Not playing last weekend, maybe getting some rest it will help me for this week, but I feel like my game is in good shape. I love the golf course. I’ve always loved coming to play here. I love how the course is playing. I had some good practice rounds so I’m just ready to get going.”

Henderson arrived on Saturday and has played a few holes each day “so I have a great feel for the golf course. This is one of my favourite tournaments all year. You know, coming here as an amateur in 2014, I got to witness and experience an amazing atmosphere out here and Poppy’s Pond, Dinah Shore, it’s such an amazing tradition.

“I’m excited to go out and hopefully get off to a fast start Thursday and Friday and put myself into contention on Sunday.”

@BrookeHenderson tuning up for @ANAinspiration, golf’s first major of the year. Hammered this one through wind on 4th hole @MissionHillsCC1 pic.twitter.com/hTsY0IK4gL

— Chris Stevenson (@CJ_Stevenson) March 28, 2017

Henderson said driving the ball will be a key this week and that should give her an advantage.

“You’ve got to hit fairways and I think if I can get my driver out there a good distance, there’s a lot of corners and a lot of trouble you need to carry it 250, so if I can do that, I think I can take out a lot of the field that way,” she said. “The rough is very long, so hitting fairways and being consistent is also very important.

“The greens are always fast and firm out there, so making sure you’re hitting fairways and giving yourself a great angle for approach shots will be really important the next few days.”

Neither Henderson nor Sharp have had the results they would have liked so far in 2017. 

Henderson’s best finish was a tie for fourth at the HSBC Women’s Champions, her only top 10 finish in 2017. She’s 18th on the LPGA money list.

“So far into the year 2017 I have necessarily performed or gotten the results I necessarily want, but I feel my game is really close and hopefully if I can just tune up a little bit mentally and get focused on what I actually have to do, I think my game is right there that I can win a few more times and I think that starts this week,” she said. “Having played the golf course the last few days, I think it suits my game really well, so if I can get my mental attitude the way it should be, I think I’ll be right there on Sunday.”

Sharp, who enters the week 61st on the money list, said her scores haven’t reflected the quality of her play.

“I’ve been playing much better than I’ve been scoring,” said the 36-year-old. “It’s one of those things you have to be patient, keep trusting the process and stay positive.”

Leblanc, 28, had a tie for seventh at the ISPS Women’s Australian Open in February, her first top 10 on the LPGA Tour. The long hitter (sixth on Tour with an average of 270.75 yards) is 50th on the money list and, like Sharp, has been playing the best golf of her career over the last year.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (March 28, 2017) – The PGA TOUR has announced that it will begin testing the use of distance measuring devices during competition at select tournaments this year on the Web.com Tour, Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR Latinoamérica.

Each of the three Tours will allow use of the devices by players and caddies at four consecutive tournaments, including Monday qualifiers. For these events, the PGA TOUR will temporarily enact a Local Rule in accordance with Decision 14-3/0.5 of The R&A/USGA Rules of Golf, which stipulates the device can be used to measure distance only (use of functions to measure slope, elevation or wind will not be allowed).

The Web.com Tour tournaments are: the BMW Charity Pro Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation, May 15-21 in Greenville, S.C.; the Rex Hospital Open, May 29-June 4 in Raleigh, N.C.; the Rust-Oleum Championship, June 5-11 in Ivanhoe, Ill.; and the Air Capital Classic, June 12-18 in Wichita, Kan.

PGA TOUR Latinoamérica will do its testing at the last four tournaments of the schedule’s first segment: the Essential Costa Rica Classic, April 20-23; the Quito Open, June 1-4 in Ecuador; the Puerto Plata DR Open, June 8-11 in the Dominican Republic; and the Jamaica Classic, June 15-18.

The Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada will test at: the GolfBC Championship, June 15-18 in Kelowna, British Columbia; the Players Cup, July 6 – 9 in Winnipeg, Manitoba; the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel, July 13 – 16 in Thunder Bay, Ontario; and the Mackenzie Investments Open presented by Jaguar Laval, July 20 – 23 in Mirabel, Quebec.

“For years there has been significant discussion and debate about whether distance measuring devices would have a positive or negative impact on competition at the highest levels of professional golf,” said Andy Pazder, Chief Tournaments and Competitions Officer of the PGA TOUR. “The only way we can accurately assess their impact is to conduct an actual test during official competition on one or more of our Tours. We look forward to seeing how these tests go and carefully evaluating the use of the devices over those weeks. Our evaluation will consider the impact on pace of play, optics and any other effects they might have on the competition.”

Once the test and comprehensive evaluation is completed, the PGA TOUR will share the results with its Player Advisory Council on all of its Tours for additional review and discussion.

TORONTO – Golf Canada, along with leading fan engagement company Stadium Digital, today announced the re-launch of golfcanada.ca.

The new platform introduces the roll out of a responsive national website network across Canada’s provincial golf associations, beginning with albertagolf.org. The digital home for the national sport federation is the go-to destination for millions of Canadian golfers and 1,400-member golf clubs across the country.

Developed and powered by Canadian sports technology leader, Stadium Digital, the bilingual platform features a dynamic new content hub to share Canadian golf news, information and highlights of Golf Canada’s slate of championships, programs and services for golfers and member clubs. The sites also feature original content to showcase the next generation of Canadian rising stars as well as informative articles for golf enthusiasts from coast to coast.

“The launch of our new bilingual digital network is an important evolution in golfer engagement for Golf Canada and our provincial associations, allowing us to go well beyond our previous capabilities,” said Golf Canada Interim CEO Jeff Thompson. “Stadium Digital’s network infrastructure platform gives us the much-needed scale so we can connect with our golfers, fans, partners and sponsors in a much more meaningful way.”

The digital network development was supported in part by a grant through the Canadian Olympic Committee’s (COC) National Sport Federation (NSF) Enhancement Fund. The program was devised to assist NSFs in the creation of efficiencies and enhancements that could benefit other sport federations.

“We are thrilled to see Golf Canada develop this innovative digital network to engage with golf enthusiasts across Canada,” says Chris Overholt, Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Olympic Committee. “The insights learned through this initiative can now be shared with other national sport federations who look to build their own platforms. This is a great example of how sport organizations can work to strengthen the system as a whole.”

The infrastructure, hosted on the Microsoft Azure Cloud Platform, allows for a streamlined interface for users across devices. While all Golf Canada digital content lives on a single network managed by Stadium Digital, the infrastructure allows provincial golf associations to customize the look of their sites and develop their own unique content and sponsorship opportunities to serve local golfers and clubs.

Highlights of the new digital network include:

• New content hub & video player with full integration of on-demand video
• Standardized look for teams & championships
• Content sharing across all provincial golf associations
• Improved member & golf club services
• New national & local sponsorship opportunities
• Bilingual engagement
• Improved discovery of original content – video, photos & stories
• Enhanced navigation capabilities

“This is an exciting new era for golf in Canada with so many dynamic young players and a growing number of members and marquee events,” said Mark Silver, President of Stadium Digital. “It has been wonderful working with the team at Golf Canada and the provincial golf associations to develop a new platform and content hub to serve golf lovers and fuel Canada’s passion for golf for years to come.”

Stadium Digital has confirmed that work is already underway to build other Canadian provincial golf associations into the platform and that they are ultimately planning to extend the model to other national sports associations.

AVONDALE, La. – PGA Tour star Jason Day expects to arrive in Augusta, Georgia, on Friday to start practicing for the Masters, but said he could pull still out of the season’s first major, depending on his mother’s prognosis following surgery for lung cancer last week.

“Obviously, I’m still nervous because we’re still waiting to see … if it has spread or not,” said Day, who spoke Monday on a video conference set up by organizers of the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic in late April. “From there, we have to kind of come up with a game plan whether to go chemo – a form of chemo radiation – or something else.

“It’s still kind of a bit of an emotional time for me,” added Day, whose father, Alvin, died of cancer when he was 12. “Obviously, I’ve been hanging out with my mom a bit and seeing her and she’s recovering well. She’s a tough lady, but it’s hard because I look at her and she’s on the pain killers and all that stuff, what she needs to do to recover … but I can’t help but think of my dad when I see her in that situation.”

The world’s third-ranked golfer revealed that his mother, Dening, has cancer after withdrawing from the Dell Technologies Match Play in Austin, Texas, last Wednesday. Day has said the initial diagnosis came in Australia at the beginning of this year and that she had scheduled surgery in Columbus, Ohio, late last week.

Day said Monday that doctors deemed the surgery successful, and now the family awaits results of tests to see if cancer is present in Dening Day’s lymph nodes.

“My mom told me not to worry about it,” Day said. “It’s hard to do that. It’s easy to say … but it’s really, really difficult. So currently I’m scheduled to play Augusta … but if things don’t come back the way we want them, I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Day said he “hasn’t touched a golf club at all” in the days since joining his joining his mother in Ohio last week.

“It’s very, very difficult to even think about playing golf when a loved one is going through such a traumatic experience,” Day said. “Once I get past this initial stage, hopefully I’ll find some balance and I’ll be able to kind of move on and really focus on getting my game back.

“Unfortunately, I’m human. I like to feel like I’m always on it, I’m always … ready to go and trying to compete and I want to get back to that stage, but sometimes it’s very, very difficult.”

Day also is scheduled to participate in the Zurich Classic, which runs from April 27-30 and has changed to an unusual format featuring 80 two-player teams, with player picking their own partners. Teams will alternate shots in the first and third rounds and play best ball in the second and final rounds.

Day joked that he was enthusiastic about the new format as soon as Rickie Fowler agreed to be his teammate. He added that, as much as he respects tradition, golf needs to do a better job capturing younger viewers.

“Golf is kind of in a limbo stage right now. We’ve got to somehow be able to keep it traditional but also add some format play that makes it interesting and makes people want to watch the PGA Tour on a regular basis,” Day said. “This is kind of the first step in a direction that potentially could change the way we look at traditional stroke-play events.”

The pairing of Day and Fowler will make them favourites at the par-72 TPC Louisiana outside New Orleans. Other teams of note include Justin Rose with Henrik Stenson; Branden Grace with fellow South African Louis Oosthuizen; Bubba Watson with J.B. Holmes; Justin Thomas with Bud Cauley, who both played golf for Alabama; and Jason Dufner and Patton Kizzire, who played for Auburn.

Defending Zurich Classic champion Brian Stuard is paired with Chris Stroud.

The last time a PGA Tour event featured team play was the 1981 Disney Classic.

BEAUMONT, CALIFORNIA, March 26, 2017 – Daniela Darquea (Quito, Ecuador) holed out for eagle on the 13th and drained birdie on 18 to win the IOA Championship by three shots with a final-round 5-under, 67 on Sunday. She finished with a three-day total of 12-under, 204, the lowest winning score in the three years at Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon.

Darquea’s victory is historic as she becomes the first player in the history of the Symetra Tour or the LPGA from Ecuador to win. 

“It’s such a special feeling knowing that kids in Ecuador can look up to someone and say ‘I can play golf and be successful’,” explained an emotional Darquea. “Golf is not a very popular sport in Ecuador so this is so special and really important to me.”

Darquea nets a first-place check of $15,000 and moves to second on the new Volvik Race for the Card 

money list. Olivia Jordan-Higgins, who withdrew from the IOA Championship, remains in the top spot. Darquea has earned a total of $16,783 through two weeks. 

Darquea, who entered the day in a share of the lead, made the turn at 2-under for the day and had a share of the lead early on the back nine. On the 13th hole, she holed out for eagle from 130 yards out in the fairway to grab a two shot lead. 

“It is one of the toughest holes on the course and I was in the fairway and hit my 9-iron and the ball bounced on the front edge of the green and the second bounce hit the pin and went in,” explained Darquea. “I couldn’t see from where I was, but everyone on the green started screaming so it was really cool.”

Darquea made four straight pars and then stuck her approach on 18 to five feet and put an exclamation on the win with a birdie. 

“I was nervous and my hands were shaking, but that is pretty much why I play golf,” said Darquea about the last putt. “Thank god the ball went in.”

Darquea earned partial LPGA status through Qualifying Tournament by finishing T29. She actually won Stage I of Q-School in the area at the Dinah Shore Courses in Rancho Mirage. She isn’t sure how many LPGA events she will play, but is thoroughly enjoying her time on the Symetra Tour.

“I didn’t really expect to win this quick,” said Darquea, who finished T17 at the season opener. “I just love to play golf and compete and I’m super about this.”

Benyapa Niphatsophon (Bangkok, Thailand) and Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Anne-Catherine Tanguay (Quebec, Canada) shared second place at 9-under, 207. 

The Tour heads to Mesa, Arizona next week for the Gateway Classic at Longbow Golf Club. The event runs Thursday, March 30 through Sunday, April 1. 

8-YEAR LPGA VET AND FORMER GRADUATE NEARLY COMES FROM BEHIND: Alison Walshe (Westford, Mass.) graduated from the Symetra Tour to the LPGA in 2009 and has been on the big tour for the last eight years. She struggled last year and plans to play some Symetra Tour to supplement the LPGA events she’s able to get in.

On Sunday, she put together a blistering 6-under, 66 to move from T19 to a tie for fourth. She actually moved into the lead midday through the day. 

“The first few days, I was grinding it out because of my driving, I was really slicing it,” explained Walshe, who carded a 70-72 on the first two days. “I called my coach and a few people and I was like ‘any thought will help right now’ and I was able to sort it out and play more aggressive today.”

The perfect example came on the par-5 fourth. She sliced the ball in the bunker off the tee on Saturday and made bogey. On Sunday, she was on in two and made eagle. 

“I hit my driver well and was able to reach the green in two today and was about 12-15 feet,” said Walshe. “I made a good putt there and that was big.”

Walshe has five career top 10 finishes on the LPGA Tour. She isn’t 100 percent sure how her schedule will align this year. She will play next week on the Symetra Tour at the Gateway Classic at Longbow Golf Club. 

“I came into the beginning of the year trying to go to a couple Mondays (Monday Qualifiers) and see what my little bit of status will get me in (on the LPGA),” said Walshe. “I’m going to kind of go by feel. The last few years, I’ve kind of just played in everything and I kind of got sick of it and that is why I didn’t play well.”

Walshe recorded seven top 10 finishes in 2009 on the Symetra Tour.

CARLSBAD, Calif. – Mirim Lee took the lead into the final round of the Kia Classic two years ago and was overhauled by Cristie Kerr, who won with a tournament record of 20-under.

Lee had the 54-hole lead again this year, and she wasn’t about to let anyone catch her.

Lee, of South Korea, shot a 7-under 65 to win by six strokes Sunday and tie Kerr’s tournament record.

It was her third LPGA Tour victory and first since winning two titles in 2014, her rookie year.

She played a bogey-free round at Aviara, with birdies on each of the odd-numbered holes on the front nine to reach 18-under.

Lee twice just missed putts that would have put her at 21-under. She left an eagle putt short on 16 and then rolled a 40-foot birdie putt even with the hole on 18.

She was so far ahead, she wasn’t tempted to think about the lead she lost in 2015.

“I just thought I didn’t play very well at that time. Today, I tried not to think about it,” she said.

Lee was doused with water by fellow South Koreans Mi Jung Hur and In Gee Chun.

“Only the winner can enjoy the moment so it was very special,” said Lee, who came into the final hole with a one-shot lead over Hur.

If Lee wins the season’s first major next weekend, the ANA Inspiration at Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage, she can get another wet celebration – by jumping into Poppie’s Pond.

Ryu (66) and Austin Ernst (67) of Greenville, South Carolina, tied for second at 14-under.

Kerr (70) was in a group of five at 12-under. Calgary’s Jennifer Ha (69) tied for 49th at 2 under.

Lee “was at 20-under. I knew at that point you’re basically playing for second place unless she does something coming down the stretch,” Ernst said. “I think Mirim had a good lead all day. She played really good golf. Your entire game needs to be solid here.”

Said Ryu: “It’s really great to see Korean players keep playing well. Also, I always feel very proud to see many Korean companies sponsoring the LPGA tournament. We just have a kind of like responsibility to play well on the LPGA. Hopefully a lot of fans are having a lot fun to watch her play. Yeah, if another Korean girl is going to win the tournament, hopefully next one is going to be me.”