LOS ANGELES – Dustin Johnson is closing in on that elusive victory at Riviera, and a shot to reach No. 1 in the world.

And he still has a long way to go.

Johnson made two tough pars around the turn and poured it on late with three birdies over his last four holes for another 5-under 66 and a one-shot lead in the Genesis Open. It was a good place to be Saturday afternoon, except he was only halfway home at rainy Riviera.

The tournament lost an hour to fog Thursday, then seven hours when heavy rain and wind arrived in southern California on Friday, and two more hours Saturday morning to get the course cleaned up for play.

So what day is it?

“Saturday,” Johnson said. “Yeah, I think it’s Saturday.”

He was at 10-under 132 and had a one-shot lead over Pat Perez, who birdied his last two holes for a 66, and Cameron Tringale, whose wedge from 82 yards flew straight into the cup on No. 18 for a birdie and a 64.

Jhonattan Vegas finished his second round well before lunch with four pars for a 68. He was in the group at 7-under 135 along with Patrick Rodgers (67) and PGA Tour rookie J.T. Poston (69).

Graham DeLaet (68) of Weyburn, Sask., and Adam Hadwin (73) of Abbotsford, B.C., are both at 1 under after the second round. Abbotsford’s Nick Taylor (68) is even while David Hearn (73) of Brantford, Ont., is 1 over and Mackenzie Hughes (71) of Dundas, Ont., is 5 over. Hearn and Hughes missed the cut.

Sam Saunders, who opened with a 7-under 64 on Thursday and didn’t play at all on Friday, stumbled to a 77. He was right on the cut line and was in danger of becoming the first player in four years to go from leading the first round to missing the cut until a long birdie on the 17th. Saunders was nine shots behind.

The PGA Tour got a big break when 71 players made the cut, making it possible to complete 72 holes by Sunday. The third round was to begin late Saturday afternoon. Johnson, Perez and Tringale were unlikely to play again Saturday.

Johnson was in control of his game and the focus going into a marathon Sunday.

He said earlier this year that Riviera was the one tournament he wanted to win outside the majors because of his love for the course and how much he loves it, even though it has given him nothing but heartache. He has had a chance to win four times in the last five years.

Now, a victory might be enough to move him to No. 1 in the world. Johnson would have to win the Genesis Open and have world No. 1 Jason Day finish out of the top three to go to No. 1 for the first time.

“I don’t really worry about that,” Johnson said. “I want to put myself in position to win this golf tournament. That’s really all I care about is what it takes to get it done here. The rest of the stuff, the points and the world golf rankings, yeah, I would like to get there but I’m not worried about it.”

Day had another 70 and was eight shots behind and tied for 40th.

Jordan Spieth, coming off a victory at Pebble Beach, managed his 19th consecutive round under par on the PGA Tour with a 68 even though he felt as though he hit it short and crooked most of the week. He was at 5 under and in a tie for 11th.

Perez was coming off a bogey on the par-5 ninth when he drove left of the 10th green and hit what he thought was as good a shot as he could that ran onto the green toward the pin. It kept rolling into a bunker, though he hit a nifty shot from the sand to 3 feet for par.

“Another birdie,” he said as he walked off the green, paying homage to a 313-yard hole that bedevils him.

He saved his best work for the end of the round, chipping in from birdie from deep rough on the 17th and stuffing his approach into 8 feet for birdie on the 18th. Perez already has made a remarkable return from shoulder surgery, winning in his third tournament back in Mexico. Now he’s headed back to Mexico in two weeks for a World Golf Championship, and a big Sunday could set him up for another WGC at the Dell Match Play.

Perez said his shoulder pain started to return in Phoenix, but he has shortened his swing and expects no trouble over as many as 36 holes Sunday.

Tringale ran off three straight birdies on the front nine and didn’t drop a shot, saving his best for his final shot. After driving right into the eucalyptus trees on 18 and coming up short, he holed out for a 3 to get into the final group.

“Heard it hit the flag and then when people started going crazy, figured it had gone it,” he said. “It was a fun way to end.”

Now, the tournament feels as though it’s just getting started.

PERTH, Australia – Brett Rumford of Australia shot a 4-under 68 on Saturday to lead the World Super 6 tournament by five strokes and guarantee himself a bye in the first round of match play.

Rumford had a 17-under total of 199 in the tournament at Lake Karrinyup Country Club in Western Australia, which is being sanctioned by the European, Australian and Asian tours.

Tied for second on Saturday were former British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen (67), Canadian Austin Connelly (66) and Australians Jason Scrivener (66), Adam Blyth (68), Lucas Herbert (69) and Steven Jeffress (66). All will receive first-round byes in the six-hole match play on Sunday for being in the top eight after three rounds.

The tournament was cut to 24 players after the third round.

A purpose-built 90-meter (295-foot) hole has been constructed at Lake Karrinyup for the tournament, with a new tee placed adjacent to the 18th fairway and utilizing the 18th green. It will be played out once and if players remain tied at the end of match play, they will return to the new tee to hit one shot and whoever gets closest to the pin will be the winner.

ADELAIDE, Australia – American Lizette Salas shot a 2-under 71 Saturday to take a two-stroke lead over two Australians and a Thai golfer heading into the final round of the Women’s Australian Open at Royal Adelaide.

Salas, who had a 10-under total of 209, was 1 over after the front nine, but rescued her round with back-to-back birdies on the 14th and 15th holes and another on the par-5 17th.

Despite her poor start, she joked about her round later.

“I started to think whether or not I tied my hair up too tight, or whether I should take off my sweater,” Salas said. “I didn’t get a start that I wanted to but today I felt like even par literally felt like under par. I rolled in a few putts when I needed to.”

Canadian Maude-Aimée LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que., carded an even-par round for a two-way share of fifth at 7-under par heading into to Sunday’s final round. Countrywoman Alena Sharp recorded a 74 (+1) and sits tied for tenth at 5-under for the event.

South Korean-born Australian Su Oh had the round of the day, a 68, and was tied for second with fellow Australian and 36-hole leader Sarah Jane Smith (74) and Pornanong Phatlum of Thailand (73).

“It’s a little disappointing, I feel like I played pretty well,” Smith said. “I made a lot of soft bogeys today, where I feel like today’s the day where if you made some bogeys you’d be OK. Hopefully, we can get on top of that for tomorrow.”

Defending champion Haru Nomura of Japan had a second consecutive 69 and was in a group tied for seventh, four strokes behind.

No. 2-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand, the LPGA’s Player of the Year and a five-time winner in 2016, shot a 71 and was at 4-under. Michelle Wie shot 76 and was at 2-under, eight strokes behind.

No. 1-ranked Lydia Ko of New Zealand was at even par after a 73 on Saturday, as was Canada’s Brooke Henderson.

Brooke and Brittany Henderson took to the course early on Saturday as the first “group” out in Round 3. Because of the odd number of players to make the cut (75) Henderson played on her own for the first time in her career and brisked through 18 holes in just over three hours, shooting even par with one birdie and one bogey.

“It took a little while to get the rhythm right because you’re normally waiting for other players and you have a little bit more time to process things, but at the end of the day it worked out really well and now I have the rest of the day to go experience Glenelg and Adelaide,” said Henderson.

Ko has a new coach, caddie and equipment.

“It takes time to get used to, but with the clubs actually, it hasn’t really taken a long time,” Ko said “Straight away I had a rough idea how far it was going and the flight itself. It’s something that I can trust, even though it’s only my first tournament with them.”

LOS ANGELES – Wind, rain and the snap of a large tree limb were enough to stop play Friday in the second round of the Genesis Open.

Sam Saunders remained atop the leaderboard without ever hitting a shot Friday at Riviera.

Jhonattan Vegas joined him at 7-under par and was all too happy to wait until Saturday morning – maybe – to complete his second round. The wind made it difficult to pick the right club. The rain made it difficult to gauge the speed on the greens.

But it was the crack of a eucalyptus tree that made PGA Tour officials sound the horn to get players – and spectators – off the course.

“We could have played a little bit more, but why? It’s going to get nothing but worse,” said Mark Russell, the PGA Tour’s vice-president of competition. “We wanted to get them out of there when the trees started snapping.”

No one was hurt, although Russell said he heard some spectators had to scramble to safety when the eucalyptus limb fell some 30 yards behind the third green.

It was tough on a few players, too, at least between the ears.

Hideki Matsuyama, who had a mathematical chance to reach No. 1 in the world this week with a victory, returned Friday morning to complete the first round and made three straight birdies for a 68. He likely will have to finish with three straight birdies Saturday just to make the cut. Matsuyama was 6 over through 15 holes on his second round, and 3 over for the tournament.

Defending champion Bubba Watson hasn’t had much go his way this week, even when they do. He couldn’t decide on a club at No. 5 and came up well short of the green, only to chip in for a birdie. Standing on the tee at the par-3 sixth, with a bunker in the middle of the green and the pin left and to the back, Watson jokingly lamented, “The one time I don’t want to hit first.”

He still had two holes to play and was 8 over, virtually assured of missing the cut.

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., was the lone Canadian to start his second round. He played 14 holes and is 5 over for the event.

Cameron Percy of Australia was among 24 players who finished his second round. He shot a 71 and was at 5-under 137. Zac Blair and Martin Laird each shot 68 and were finished at 4-under 138.

Graeme McDowell birdied three of his last eight holes for a 70 and was at 3 under, along with Daniel Summerhays (73) and Keegan Bradley (70).

Very much in the mix was Jordan Spieth, playing in the same group as Watson. He was the last to hit on No. 6 and had no idea what was going on when he hit his shot .

“Oh, don’t go that way,” Spieth said as the wind failed to bring it back to the right toward the green.

“No way. No way,” he said when his shot appeared to go well beyond the bunker to the left of the putting surface.

And then he heard a smattering of cheers.

The shot landed on a hill beyond the green, rode the slope back down to about 10 feet and he wound up with a birdie. He was at 5 under with two holes to play, and depending what the weather has in store, that might not be a bad place to be.

Spieth, coming off a victory at Pebble Beach last week, was headed for his 19th consecutive round under par on the PGA Tour.

“We knew it would be interesting today, and last week actually was great prep for it because we played through conditions like this that first round,” Spieth said. “Things aren’t going to always go your way on a day like today. Actually, rarely they’re going to go your way. … Tough break on this wave, but that happens, too. Go out tomorrow and play a strong last couple of holes and see if we can take advantage this weekend.”

Still to be determined was whether the rain _ and any debris _ would allow the second round to resume at 7 a.m. Saturday. Ideally, the second round would end in the mid-afternoon, making it still possible for 72 holes by Sunday.

Among those who didn’t play on Friday was Dustin Johnson, who opened with a 66. He needs a victory to have a chance to reach No. 1, depending on how Jason Day fares. The world’s No. 1 player was at 2 under for the tournament with three holes to play.

Day already had one highlight. He began his second round on No. 10, and his drive was so far to the right that it was in front of the temporary green, leaving him no shot except to bounce it up the narrow strip of turf separating two bunkers. He pulled it off perfectly, the ball stopped 8 feet away and Day walked off with a birdie.

TORONTO – The Golf Journalists Association of Canada (GJAC) and Freedom 55 Financial have awarded this year’s Freedom 55 Financial GJAC Journalism Scholarship to Hailey Salvian, a fourth-year journalism student at Ryerson University. (more…)

ADELAIDE, Australia – Sarah Jane Smith shot a 6-under 67 in tough, windy afternoon conditions Friday at Royal Adelaide to take a one-stroke lead after two rounds of the Women’s Australian Open.

The Australian had a 36-hole total of 9-under 137.

American Lizette Salas shot 70 to move into a four-way tie for second. She was joined by Pornanong Phatlum of Thailand, who also shot 70, Marissa Steen of the United States, who had a 71, and Sweden’s Caroline Hewwall, who birdied her final three holes for a 69.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about it,” Smith said of her chance to win her national championship. “Obviously, it would be a dream come true and something that every young Australian thinks about at some point. So to even be in this position right now is pretty exciting. I just need to control my nerves.”

First-round leader Katherine Kirk was in a late share of the lead until she double-bogeyed the eighth hole, her second-last of the day. She was two strokes off the lead in a tie for sixth after a 74.

Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., had one of the best rounds of the day, a 68 that left her tied with Kirk at 7-under. Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot 77 and was at even par, as was No. 1-ranked Lydia Ko of New Zealand after a 75.

Alena Sharp of Hamilton fired a 69 and was tied for ninth while Jennifer Ha of Calgary carded a 78 and failed to make the cut for the third round.

Salas said she recovered well during her round.

“I would be in trouble or miss an up-and-down, on the next hole I’d come right back with birdie,” she said. “I gave myself a lot of opportunities for birdie and I’d miss them on the high side, so that’s something that I could work on on the putting green.”

Salas says she’s “in a good place right now” as she looks forward to possibly representing the U.S. at the Solheim Cup.

“The past two years I’ve been kind of hoping to get better as the year went on,” Salas said. “This year I really wanted to get a good start. Knowing it is a Solheim Cup year, so every tournament does count and I literally took no time off during the off season. It is a huge goal.”

Michelle Wie shot 71 and was at 5-under, four behind Smith. Wie had to overcome back spasms for most of her round, which started with a double-bogey.

“It was pretty bad out there, but hopefully to the physio and get it better for this weekend,” Wie said.

No. 2-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand, the LPGA’s player of the year and a five-time winner in 2016, shot a second consecutive 72, and defending champion Haru Nomura of Japan rebounded from an opening 75 with a 69 to make the cut.

Five-time champion Karrie Webb shot 73 after an opening 76 and missed qualifying for the weekend.

LOS ANGELES – This is the starring role Sam Saunders prefers.

Saunders, the grandson of Arnold Palmer who so famously kept his composure during a heartfelt eulogy of The King, rolled in birdie putts and kept a clean card at Riviera on Thursday for a 7-under 64 and an early two-shot lead in the Genesis Open.

Saunders called it his best round on the PGA Tour, and it was merely a coincidence that it came on the 50-year anniversary of Palmer defending his title at the Los Angeles Open, when it was played at Rancho Municipal.

“He just always talked about how much he loved coming out there and playing,” Saunders said. “I think his celebrity matched pretty well with the celebrity atmosphere that you have here, so he was obviously comfortable with that.”

Saunders had a two-shot lead over Dustin Johnson, who has a chance to go to No. 1 if he were to win this week. Daniel Summerhays, Cameron Percy, J.T. Poston and Brett Stegmaier joined Johnson at 66, while Phil Mickelson was among those at 67.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., paced the Canadians with an opening-round 68 (-3) to hold a share of 18th. David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., was the only other Canadian to finish under-par, carding a 70 (-1) in Thursday’s opener.

Because of a fog delay in the morning, darkness kept 48 players from finishing the first round. They were to return 7 a.m. Friday, though the bigger question was whether a monster storm of rain and wind would allow for that.

Jordan Spieth was at 2 under and facing a 50-foot birdie putt on the 17th. Jason Day was at even par through 16 holes, while Hideki Matsuyama was 1 under through 16 holes.

Saunders has kept a busy schedule over the last four months in the aftermath of Palmer’s death. He is taking on a bigger role at the Arnold Palmer Invitational next month, along with being a husband and the father of two sons, and getting his golf game in shape.

“It’s been busy, but busy in a good way,” he said.

Saunders was rock solid Oct. 3 when he stood before thousands at St. Vincent College, and so many more watching the live telecast of Palmer’s memorial service. Speaking without notes, Saunders beautifully captured the spirit of Palmer as a golfer and as a grandfather, saying that day, “There wasn’t a big difference between the man you saw on TV and the man we knew at home.”

He has always been known as Palmer’s grandson, and Saunders has learned to embrace it. He no longer worries about trying to make a name for himself.

“I don’t need to compete against my grandfather’s career. Nobody can,” he said. “I don’t care how many golf tournaments you win, nobody’s going to compete in the terms of doing what he did for the game. And for me to try to promote my own brand or name would be foolish because I have such a great opportunity to promote and to continue what he has already done. That’s what I’m going to do and not make it about myself.”

The morning was perfect for scoring once the fog lifted, and Saunders rarely had a round with so little stress. He only came close to making bogey twice, saving par with an 8-foot putt on the par-3 fourth hole and a 6-foot putt on the par-3 14th.

Saunders, with only conditional status this year, is playing on the first of what figures to be several sponsor exemptions. He missed the cut in La Quinta and Pebble Beach and knew with the forecast so dire that it would be key to getting off to a good start.

Johnson has come close to winning Riviera, one of his favourite courses, four of the last five years and he looked as though he might be tough to beat this week when he holed a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole as he made the turn, going out in 32.

He failed to birdie the par-5 first hole when his approach was on the fringe on the wrong side of the green, forcing him to hit a flop shot to the other side. Worse yet, he was stung on the neck by a bee, and stood on the next tee rolling a cold water bottle against his neck as his brother and caddie, Austin, removed the stinger.

Johnson hit two ordinary shots, but followed with a pair of 25-foot birdie putts. A bogey on the fourth hole dropped him to 5 under, and he finished with pars.

Mickelson is playing his fifth straight event, though the 46-year-old sure didn’t seem bothered by that. He went eagle-birdie-birdie around the turn to briefly take the lead and settled for a 67.

Also at 68 was Billy Hurley III, surprised by a strong performance after writing a moving letter in The Players Tribune to his late father, who committed suicide. Others at 68 included Branden Grace, playing Riviera for the first time, and Padraig Harrington, who fears a shoulder injury might require surgery.

The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada and Mackenzie Investments announced on Thursday that the Mackenzie Investments Open, an official 72-hole event, will take place at Les Quatres Domaines Golf Club as part of a multi-year agreement starting in 2017.

Mackenzie Investments, the umbrella sponsor of the Mackenzie Tour since 2015, will serve as the event’s title sponsor, with the Circuit Canada Pro Tour serving as host organization. The 2017 event will take place July 17-23, following which the top three players on the Order of Merit will earn exemptions into the RBC Canadian Open on the PGA TOUR.

“We felt it imperative to add a Quebec stop to the Mackenzie Tour, especially as Mackenzie celebrates our 30th year of helping investors in Quebec achieve their financial goals,” said Barry McInerney, President and CEO, Mackenzie Investments. “The addition of the Mackenzie Investments Open in the city of Montreal grows our commitment to Canadian sport, as we invest in player development, local communities and charities from coast to coast. Montreal has lots to offer the Mackenzie Tour so we can’t wait to showcase the city while we host the players, our clients, partners and guests at the first Mackenzie Investments Open.”

“We are fortunate to work with an umbrella sponsor like Mackenzie Investments, whose support of adding an event in Quebec has been instrumental in making this tournament a reality. We look forward to it becoming a world class event in a world class city for years to come,” said Mackenzie Tour President Jeff Monday.

The event will offer a $175,000 purse with $31,500 to the winner starting in 2017, featuring a field of 156 players. In addition to regular Mackenzie Tour eligibility plus 10 spots for open qualifying, the field will feature 16 sponsor exemptions, including several Circuit Canada Pro Tour players adding local flavor to the tournament.

“The support fans in Quebec have shown for sporting events and golf tournaments is incredibly impressive, particularly ones that feature athletes from Quebec. That support is a major reason we wanted to launch an event here, and we felt it was important to give the tournament a local connection to help establish the event and make an impact in the community,” said Monday.

Circuit Canada Pro Tour, which manages professional golf tournaments in Ontario and Quebec, will operate the tournament, with Circuit Canada Pro Tour President Jean Trudeau serving as Tournament Director.

“Circuit Canada Pro Tour is proud to partner with Mackenzie Investments and the PGA TOUR in hosting the 2017 Mackenzie Investments Open in Montreal,” said Trudeau. “We are eager to work with the PGA TOUR team and Les Quatre Domaines Golf Club to make this event a success. Being the first Mackenzie Tour event to be held in the Province of Quebec, we look forward to seeing golf enthusiasts of ‘La Belle Province’ attend this great international event and see the future stars of the PGA TOUR.”

The full Mackenzie Tour schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.

ADELAIDE, Australia – Katherine Kirk set the early pace at the Women’s Australian Open on Thursday, shooting an 8-under 65 at Royal Adelaide to take a two-stroke clubhouse lead.

The Australian, playing her fourth week in a row, birdied four of her first five holes and three of four in the middle of the back nine.

“There are low numbers to be had out there,” said Kirk. “A lot of birdie opportunities, and I was just fortunate I got off to a good start and kept the momentum going.”

Tied for second were Marissa Steen and Jane Park of the United States and South Korean Chella Choi.

Canada’s Brooke Henderson was four strokes behind after carding 69, while No. 1-ranked Lydia Ko shot 71. Five-time champion Karrie Webb shot 76 ahead of the afternoon starters who included No. 2-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn, a five-time winner last year.

“Four birdies, no bogeys, I’m pretty happy and hopefully will shoot another similar round tomorrow,” said Henderson, from Smiths Fall, Ont., who played with Ko. “The crowds were awesome. I hardly ever see that many people on the Thursday round, especially when we tee off (early) in the morning.”

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp and Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., were tied at 2-under 71. Calgary’s Jennifer Ha was 2-over 75.

Ko was frustrated on the greens, but ended the day on a good note when she birdied the ninth, her last.

“I hit my drives good, which is really important around a course like this, but just the putts did not drop,” Ko said. “It was good to see a putt drop on the final hole and hopefully that will give me good momentum going into tomorrow.”

Webb had an up-and-down second nine after starting on the 10th. She was 3-over after bogeying the first – her 10th hole – but then went double-bogey, bogey, birdie, birdie, par to complete her round.

“A couple of late birdies at least made lunch taste better, but it wasn’t real good out there today,” said Webb.

Steen was in the first group out, and took advantage of it during her round which included an eagle on the third.

“The wind was low, the greens were rolling really pure. I was joking that I didn’t see a blade of grass out of place out there the whole day,” Steen said. “I didn’t trip once. I either hit every green or was right on the fringe where I was still able to putt, so I gave myself a lot of chances and took advantage when I had wedges in my hands.”

Steen, 27, didn’t start playing golf until she was 14.

“I played a bunch of other sports growing up, so focusing on golf I was a little late to it,” said Steen, who played at the University of Memphis in Tennessee for four years and then played Symetra Tour for three seasons.

Golf Canada is pleased to announce its competition schedule including host clubs and dates for the 2017 championship season.

A total of 25 professional and amateur championships, as well as qualifying events into Canada’s two National Open Championships—the RBC Canadian Open and the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open—will be conducted in 2017.

“We are proud to announce our 2017 championship schedule and anxiously await the spirited competition shared by nearly 3,000 athletes at many of Canada’s premier golf facilities,” said Golf Canada interim CEO and Chief Sport Officer Jeff Thompson. “As the governing body, it is our privilege to conduct these great competitions in partnership with our host venues, sponsors, and thousands of dedicated volunteers from coast to coast. These championships provide high levels of competition and development opportunities while also offering the chance for competitors to stamp their names in Canada’s storied golf history.”

Golf Canada’s amateur championships are proudly supported by RBC, CP, Sport Canada, Titleist and FootJoy.

The complete 2017 championship schedule as well as registration information can be found here.

Championship notes:

Golf Canada’s championship season kicks off with the Future Links Pacific Championship, May 12-14, at Chilliwack Golf Club in Chilliwack, B.C. The event is the first in a series of six regional junior competitions in association with Future Links, Canada’s national junior golf program.

The 15^th playing of the Canadian University/College Championship will be hosted by Georgian College from May 29 to June 1 at Tangle Creek Golf & Country Club in Barrie, Ont. The championship will be the first of eight national amateur competitions contested in 2017.

Beginning in late July, Ontario will host a number of competitions including the 104^th Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship (Cutten Fields in Guelph, Ont.).

Eastern Ontario will be the hub of Canadian junior golf activity in 2017 as the 79^th Canadian Junior Boys Championship (Cataraqui Golf & Country Club in Kingston, Ont.) and the 63^rd Canadian Junior Girls Championship (Camelot Golf & Country Club in Cumberland, Ont.) will be contested in the region between July 31 – August 4.

The 2017 edition of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship returns to the Greater Toronto Area for its 113^th playing. The Toronto Golf Club—a five-time host of the Canadian Open and the third oldest golf club in North America—will host the world’s third oldest amateur championship from August 7-10 alongside co-host Islington Golf Club.

A two-stage qualifying procedure for the 2017 RBC Canadian Open will feature a trio of regional qualifying competitions in British Columbia (Bear Mountain Golf Resort in Victoria on May 9), Ontario (Blue Springs Golf Club in Acton on May 15), and Quebec (Club de golf de la Vallée du Richelieu in Sainte-Julie on June 5). The final qualifying event will be held at Heron Point Golf Links in Ancaster, Ont., on July 24.

On Saturday, July 22, as a kick-off event to the 2017 RBC Canadian Open, Glen Abbey will also open its fairways to junior competitors from across Canada for the ninth annual Future Links Junior Skills Challenge National Event.

For the 29^th time in the 108-year history of Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship, Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., will play host to the RBC Canadian Open from July 24-30. In 2016, Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas was crowned champion, finishing one stroke ahead of John Rahm, Dustin Johnson and Martin Laird. The Canadian storyline of the week was the memorable performance of Kimberley, B.C. product and Team Canada member Jared du Toit, who entered the final round with a share of second alongside U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson.

Late August will see the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur and Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur & Senior Championships hosted at Wascana Country Club in Regina, Sask., and Humber Valley Golf Club in Little Rapids, N.L., respectively.

To coincide with the “Canada 150” celebrations, Golf Canada is proud to bring a number of golf championships to the Ottawa region in 2017. The 2017 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open will return to the nation’s capital and Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club from August 21-27. Ariya Jutanugarn captured last year’s Canadian Pacific Women’s Open by four strokes, securing her fifth LPGA victory of the 2016 season. The tournament’s Monday Qualifier will take place at Camelot Golf & Country Club in Cumberland, Ont., on August 21.

Other events coming to the Ottawa region in 2017 include the Canadian Junior Girls Championship (Camelot Golf & Country Club in Cumberland, Ont.) as well as the fourth annual World Junior Girls Championship, which brings together teams from 15 countries September 24-29 at The Marshes Golf Club.

Golf Canada’s final national championship of the 2017 season, the 55^th Canadian Men’s Senior Championship, will be hosted at The Kanawaki Golf Club in Kahnawake (Montreal), Que., from September 10-14.

The Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru National Event will be held at Brantford Golf & Country Club on September 26.  The one-day event is a celebration of the success of all Golf Fore the Cure events held nationwide during the 2017 season. To date, the program’s fundraising efforts have totaled more than $5.9 million for breast cancer research.

As the National Sports Federation and governing body of golf in Canada, Golf Canada conducts the country’s premier amateur and professional golf championships as part of its mandate to promote the sport and aid in the development of the nation’s world-class talent. The organization is also a proud participant in the Canada Summer Games, to be held this year in Winnipeg from July 28 – August 13.