The PGA Tour makes its first stop at Torrey Pines this season for the 2021 Farmers Insurance Open.

With the famous course also hosting this year’s U.S. Open, it’s a little surprising that only three of the top-10 players in the world will be competing.

Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy lead the 156-person field heading into San Diego, California where they’ll be playing on both the North and South Courses the first two days. The final two rounds are both on the South.

Course Expectations

Built along the California coastline, Torrey Pines is one of the most picturesque stops on tour with mesmerizing views of the Pacific.

The North Course (par 72, 7,258 yards) is significantly easier to score on versus the South. Expect players to card their lowest round of the week whichever day they play on the North.

At 7,765-yards, the South Course will be the first track of the year where distance will significantly factor into the results. Considering how this course rates in driving accuracy, expect length to be a common advantage among the leaders this weekend.

With the majority of Torrey South’s par 4s playing 450 yards or more, expect the bombers to get aggressive on the four par 5s where most of the scoring will be done.

The key stats to follow heading into the weekend will be driving distance and strokes gained: approach the green. In three of the last four years, the winner has ranked T5 or better in SG APP.

Notables in the Field

Jon Rahm – The betting favourite heading into the tournament, the world’s number two golfer is primed for a strong showing once again at Torrey Pines. Last year, he was runner-up to Marc Leishman and won the tournament back in 2017. He clearly performs on this course and has the game profile to match.

Rory McIlroy – Finishing top-5 in this event the last two seasons, McIlroy has the tournament history and current form to be in contention Sunday. He’s finished no worse than T21 over his last seven events and is coming off a third place finish in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship last week.

Xander Schauffele – Currently ranked sixth in the world, Schauffele is in peak form having finished T25 or better in his last 12 tournaments. Unfortunately, the San Diego native hasn’t found success at the Farmers Insurance Open missing the cut in four of the last five tournaments. With no fans in attendance this weekend, perhaps some of the hometown pressure will be taken off his shoulders.

Marc Leishman – The defending champ is coming off a stellar T4 performance in Hawaii where he carded four consecutive rounds of 66 or better. Over his career, he’s had two second place showings and finished top-10 five times at the Farmers Insurance Open. With that being said, he currently ranks outside the top-100 in both driving distance and accuracy for 2021 suggesting he’ll have an uphill battle at Torrey Pines.

Jason Day – A two-time winner of this tournament, Day is still a top-15 betting pick even though he’s not at his best right now. Since finishing T4 at the PGA Championship, he’s missed the cut in three of his last nine tournaments. He hasn’t played since the RSM Classic in November so perhaps the time off will yield some better results to start 2021.

Canadians in Contention ?

Corey Conners – Of the seven Canadians competing this week, Conners has the best combination of current form and skillset to challenge for the win. Over the first 15 weeks of the 2020-21 season, Conners ranks 20^th in strokes gained: off-the-tee and 46^th in strokes gained: approach the green. He’s coming off five consecutive top-25 performances and has the highest betting odds out of the bunch.

Adam Hadwin – Even though Hadwin is the most accomplished of the seven, he comes into the Farmers Insurance Open in need of a strong performance. He missed the cut in his last three tournaments of 2020 but encouragingly finished T32 at The American Express last week. He’ll need better consistency from tee-to-green especially on the South Course but his short-game has been in fine form. He was 11^th last week in strokes gained: putting and 17^th in strokes gained: around-the-green.

Mackenzie Hughes – No Canadian was hotter than Hughes in 2020. He finished the season 14^th in the FedExCup standings with three top-3 finishes. Unfortunately over the last two seasons, he’s gotten off to slow starts. In 2020 he missed his first five cuts before finishing second at The Honda Classic in February. In 2019, he started the year missing four of his first six cuts. Coming off a T19 finish in Hawaii, Hughes looks ready for a career-year in 2021.

Roger Sloan – Even though Sloan has missed the cut two years in a row at the Farmers Insurance Open, his stats for 2021 paint a promising picture. He currently ranks 38^th in strokes gained: off-the-tee and 88^th in strokes gained: approach the green (second amongst the Canadians). Considering the Poa Annua greens at Torrey Pines’ South Course, his strong ball-striking will be necessary to go low this weekend.

David Hearn – The veteran of the group, Hearn’s hot putting will be needed to carry him into the weekend. Through the first 15 weeks of the 2021 PGA season, the Brampton-native ranks 10^th in strokes gained: putting. He finished T8 at the Bermuda Championship two years in a row and will look to carry that form to make the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open for the first time in his career.

Michael Gligic – The newest PGA Tour member of the bunch, Gligic opened the 2020-21 season making four of his first five cuts highlighted by a T11 finish at the Bermuda Championship. Considering the layout of the South Course, the Burlington-native’s length off the tee (26^th on the season) will be critical to his success this week. His putting continues to improve as well, ranking 53^rd on the year in strokes gained: putting.

Jared du Toit – Having played most of his professional golf on the Mackenzie Tour and PGA Tour Latinoamerica over the last four years, du Toit will be participating in his first PGA Tour event outside of the RBC Canadian Open this week. After birding the first playoff hole of Monday’s Farmer Insurance Open qualifier, du Toit is now scheduled for an 11 am PT tee time on the North Course at Torrey Pines.

Throwin it back to the time @Jareddutoit played in the final group at the 2016 @RBCCanadianOpen ? pic.twitter.com/MgXDvL36T0

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) January 26, 2021

Together with the PGA of Canada, Golf Canada is excited to announce the nine individuals named as inaugural participants in the 2021 Women in Coaching program.

Each participant receives in-depth career development support that is focused on four main areas: sports science and coaching education, hands-on training experiences with coaches and top players, project work and individualized learning plans. Recipients are awarded a $2,500 bursary to help offset costs for the hands-on training portion of the program.

Due to the volume of qualified applicants, Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada are considering ways to extend career development support to a broader pool of aspiring female coaches. Increasing the number of female mentors and role models is a priority for the growth of golf in Canada.

“The Women in Coaching program presents an opportunity for some of Canada’s most-accomplished female leaders to further their career developments together,” said Jennifer Greggain, coach of Team Canada’s Junior Squads. “The strong collection of coaches will drive the initiative forward through knowledge and experience sharing on the way to building a foundation for the future.”

Areas of focus include leadership, networking, building experience, Safe Sport, developing coach philosophy, and expanding technical knowledge. A diverse lineup of speakers and educators will assist in content delivery.

“The overarching goal with the Women in Coaching program is to help administrators to further understand barriers and identify solutions for women entering the field,” said Emily Phoenix, manager of high performance with Golf Canada. “There remains much work to do, but this signals progress in achieving equitable representation of women in the Canadian golf coaching community.”

The following are selected as participants in the 2021 Women in Coaching program:

• Casey Ward, Credit Valley Golf & Country Club, Ontario
• Emma DeGroot, Hamilton Golf & Country Club, Ontario
• Bri-ann Tokariwski, Elmhurst Golf & Country Club/Golf Manitoba, Manitoba
• Dawn Turner, Grey Hawk Golf Club/University of Ottawa, Ontario
• Kyla Inaba, Predator Ridge Resort, B.C.
• Michelle McCann, Uplands Golf Club, B.C.
• Elizabeth Asselin, Royal Québec Golf Club, Québec
• Sarah Landry, University of Montreal, Québec
• Carla Munch, Cambridge Golf Club/University of Waterloo, Ontario

Announced in August, the Women in Coaching Program is a new initiative that strives to reach a stronger balance between sexes of high-performance coaches. The program received financial support for launch through Sport Canada’s Safe Sport and Gender Equity Fund and the

R&A’s Women in Golf charter.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Jan. 6, 2021 – After completing his 11th year as LPGA Commissioner, Mike Whan has notified the LPGA Board of Directors that he has made the difficult decision to transition out of the LPGA in 2021. While no firm date has been set for his departure, this announcement begins the start of a thorough and thoughtful Commissioner succession process.

Whan shared his decision today with LPGA staff, Members and sponsors in the attached letter, including the following messages:

“When I first joined the LPGA, I told the Board it would be a four-year term, giving me time to help the organization achieve its immediate goals. Now, as the longest-serving LPGA Commissioner, I look back on these 11 years with enormous pride and satisfaction at what we’ve accomplished together to provide opportunities for women to achieve their dreams in golf.

“You may be wondering why I’ve made the decision to step down – and why now? In many ways, this past year – with all the pandemic challenges – was also the LPGA’s most triumphant. We are entering 2021 on a wave of momentum – a strong schedule with record purses, new events/sponsors, double-digit viewership growth, and a talented team that demonstrated exceptional skill, resilience and capability to lead through challenging times.

“I simply wouldn’t leave the LPGA if I thought the future was uncertain or not trending straight up. In fact, even after the challenges we faced in 2020, the LPGA has NEVER been more financially secure, deeper in leadership talent, or more anchored by passionate, diverse sponsors from all around the world. The LPGA is poised for even greater heights; and as such, I’m excited to hand the baton to the next leader and become their biggest supporter.

“One of the hardest jobs of a leader is to know when their work is done. If the COVID-19 pandemic taught me anything, it was that the LPGA executive staff has full control of our business and is capable of incredible things. We have leaders who are visionary, compassionate, collaborative and humble. You may not agree with every decision they make, but they have led our Tours to new heights virtually every year.”

Laurence Applebaum and LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan at 2019 CP Women’s Open press conference (Bernard Brault/ Golf Canada)

LPGA Board Chair Diane Gulyas said, “Mike Whan has been a transformational leader of the LPGA and we’ve been fortunate to retain him for 11 years. When he told of me of his intention to step down this year, I had two reactions: First, can we persuade him to stay? And, when that wasn’t possible, to fully respect his decision and begin a seamless transition.

“Mike’s leadership legacy will be felt for years: in the LPGA’s financial strength and value proposition; in its global reach; in the breadth of programs and services it now offers for women and girls in golf; and in the diversity and quality of companies wanting to partner with the LPGA. He has effectively guided the LPGA through a range of economic cycles and challenges, including the COVID 19 pandemic. And, he has been the voice of our Association and its commitment to opportunities for women in golf.”

“Mike has absolutely been the right leader at the right time,” said Vicki Goetze-Ackerman, the LPGA Tour’s Player President. “He rebuilt the Tour – and then reimagined its future – by bringing new events, new sponsors and a new value proposition around diversity and inclusion to the LPGA. He has that rare ability to get people of all ages and backgrounds excited and on board with his vision. We’re grateful for his leadership over these 11 years and know he’ll remain an advocate for the LPGA long after he departs.”

Marvol Barnard, President of the LPGA’s 1,800 teaching Professionals, said, “When Mike joined the LPGA in 2010, we were essentially a Tour and a Teaching division. Today, we are a bigger, broader, integrated organization dedicated to women in golf of all ages and abilities. Mike will always be an incredibly important person in the history of the LPGA Professionals, and we will always be grateful for his leadership, vision and guidance.”

Gulyas said the Board will establish a Commissioner Selection and Transition Committee and consider candidates from the LPGA’s talented executive staff as well from outside the organization. “It’s clear the LPGA today is a very different Association than the one Mike joined in 2010,” said Gulyas. “Our commitment to the LPGA – and all of our stakeholders – is to find the right leader to guide the Association through this next chapter in its storied history.

“We are so grateful for Mike’s passion and leadership of the LPGA over more than a decade of service as our Commissioner. He will leave the LPGA well positioned for continued success, with an outstanding team of leaders and a strong and sustained culture – Act Like A Founder – that will endure for years to come.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has infected millions and killed hundreds of thousands around the world. Almost without exception, everyone was affected in some way. Its effects extended beyond the physical toll, causing emotional, psychological and economic impact. We were hard-pressed to find ways to stay positive and active. Many turned to golf as an outlet, even therapy of sorts.

“What an incredibly strange and challenging year,” Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum said in an interview with The Canadian Press. “Golf has been a silver lining, a bright light, call it what you may, in giving people a bit of a break from the pandemic.”

Record rounds were registered across the country consistently throughout the year, played under strict precautionary COVID-19 protocols.

 

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While participation grew across the country, most tournaments and social gatherings at golf clubs were cancelled or postponed, including the RBC Canadian Open and the CP Women’s Open. The Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada cancelled its season. All Golf Canada’s national championships and many provincial association tournaments were shelved.

“We’re going to look back on 2020 and say, ‘amongst all the challenges, amongst a lot of really difficult situations for so many people, golf was a bright light that we built from,’” Applebaum said.

For example, the COVID-19 Golf Relief Fund initiated by Golf Canada and the Canadian Golf Foundation raised more than $400,000. The fund subsidizes non-medical personal protective equipment for golf course employees as well as sanitization, hygiene and protective material expenses. It also subsidizes rounds of golf for front-line workers as well as juniors.

What follows are some of the top golf-related stories from 2020, a very different year. These are just some of the headlines. Details on these stories and many others are available under News on the Golf Canada website.

January

The new World Handicap System came into effect with the goal of making the game more enjoyable by providing a consistent means of measuring performance and progress and to enable golfers of differing abilities to compete or play a casual round with anyone else on a fair and equal basis.

Jared du Toit, a member of Golf Canada’s Young Pro Squad, won the PGA TOUR Latinoamerica Qualifying Tournament Mexico.

#TeamCanada’s @Jareddutoit finishes at 22 under to claim medalist honours at @PGATOURLA Q-School, earning fully exempt status ? pic.twitter.com/UOWNokr13U

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) January 18, 2020

Grace McCann of Windsor, Ont., a past president of the former Canadian Ladies’ Golf Association, passed away at the age of 85.

The Golf Journalists Association of Canada named Brooke Henderson (female professional), Corey Conners (male professional), Garrett Rank (male amateur) and Brigitte Thibault (female amateur) as players of the year for 2019.

February

Charlie Beaulieu of Lorraine, Que., was elected for a second term at Golf Canada’s annual meeting. Liz Hoffman of Thornhill, Ont., and Dale Jackson of Victoria remain as first and second vice-president respectively. Bill MacMillan of Eastern Passage, N.S., received the Bruce Mitchell Volunteer of the Year Award. Volunteer Richard Smith of Regina and golf journalist Ian Hutchison of Newmarket, Ont., received Golf Canada’s Distinguished Service Award.

Celeste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-L’lle-Perrot, Que., a graduate of Team Canada’s National Junior Squad, won the NCAA’s Gold Rush tournament in California.

Nick Taylor shot a final-round 2-under-par 70 to claim a wire-to-wire four-stroke victory in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in California. Taylor overcame 40 mph gusts of winds and finished at 19-under to become the first Canadian to win the event.

Golf Canada named the 2020 Young Pro Squads: Hugo Bernard, Jared du Toit, Stuart Macdonald, Taylor Pendrith, Chris Crisologo and Joey Savoie for the men and Jaclyn Lee, Brittany Marchand and Maddie Szeryk for the women.

 

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March

As the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic enveloped not only Canada but the world, governments ordered the shutdown of non-essential businesses, which in most provinces included golf courses.

The Summer Olympics, scheduled to begin in July in Tokyo, are postponed until 2021 due to the pandemic. They will still be called the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, however.

April

Canadian Scott Pritchard, previously vice-president of the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada, is promoted to executive director.

May

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, most golf courses across Canada did not open on schedule this spring. Although those in British Columbia were never ordered to close, those in other provinces were shuttered until they were allowed to open when stringent anti-COVID safeguards were in place. New Brunswick courses opened April 24 with the balance of the provinces following suit throughout the month of May.

Golf Canada announced the formation of the Golf Industry Advisory Council, a volunteer group of experienced professionals to support Golf Canada’s Board of Directors and management team. The council will include course owners, operators, general managers, superintendents and professionals as well as executives from the golf equipment, apparel and footwear industry.

Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame announced Lorie Kane of Charlottetown was among six athletes and five builders who will receive the Order of Sports award, Canada’s highest sporting honour.

BIG round of applause for @loriekanelpga, who was announced as an inductee into @sportshall class of 2020/21 ????

Congrats to all inductees! ??https://t.co/WDFgBToJg1

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) May 27, 2020

The Prince Edward Island Golf Association named Alison Griffin as its new executive director.

The PGA TOUR announced that it would resume without spectators in June. The Tour had suspended play since The Players Championship was cancelled in March.

June

Despite months of planning, the celebration of the 125^th anniversary of the founding of Golf Canada on June 6, 1895, also fell victim to the pandemic. Nevertheless, the historic occasion was commemorated virtually with pivotal moments in Canadian golf being recalled on social media platforms using the hashtag #GolfCanada125.

Golf Canada announces that St. George’s Golf and Country Club will play host to the 2021 RBC Canadian Open. The 2020 championship, scheduled for St. George’s, was cancelled due to the pandemic.

July

Team Canada’s Brigitte Thibault of Rosemere, Que., won the Women’s Western Amateur in Illinois.

The LPGA Tour announced it would resume July 31 without spectators after having suspended play in February.

August

Golf Canada and Canadian Pacific announced that Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club will play host to the 2022 CP Women’s Open.

 

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The Golf Canada Women in Coaching Program, a partnership between Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada with the goal of putting the sport on the path to further balance between the sexes at a high level, was announced.

The new and free Golf Canada app was launched, allowing golfers nationwide to record and track their scores, trace where they have played and provide detailed game statistics as a game improvement tool.

🚨NEW FEATURE🚨

The Golf Canada app now includes free GPS distances 👀

Download: https://t.co/7WhwEb7Cyc pic.twitter.com/SlG7eEnewQ

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) September 18, 2020

The PGA TOUR announced that the 2024 Presidents Cup will return to The Royal Montreal Golf Club. The event, which pits the top male pros from the U.S. against the best from the rest of the world (except Britain and Europe), was held there in 2007.

Golf Canada and U.S.-based First Tee announced the launch of First Tee-Canada. The partnership will bring First Tee’s youth development emphasis to strengthen Golf Canada’s junior golf activities —previously conducted under the Future Links brand — that reach kids in schools and at golf facilities. The innovative First Tee curriculum will focus on empowering young people to build strength of character through the game of golf.

 

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September

The third annual CP Women’s Leadership Summit, held virtually due to the pandemic, provided inspiring stories and a networking opportunity along with accepting donations for the B.C. Children’s Hospital Foundation. Hosted by TSN anchor Lindsay Hamilton, speakers included golfers Lorie Kane and Brooke Henderson, Olympians Marnie McBean and Perdita Felicien and other prominent women in leadership positions. “It was a success story for us,” said Mary Beth McKenna, assistant RBC Canadian Open tournament director who has co-led the event since it began.

The Golf Journalists Association of Canada announced that Kim Locke of Toronto, founder and president of SCOREGolf, was the 2020 recipient of the Dick Grimm Award. The association’s highest honour is awarded in memory of the late Richard Grimm whose legendary service to the RBC Canadian Open and the Canadian golf industry remains unparalleled.

Laurent Desmarchais of Bromont, Que., a member of Team Canada’s junior squad, went wire-to-wire to win the season-ending Canada Life Series Championship at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley.

October

PGA TOUR Champions rookie Mike Weir of Bright’s Grove, Ont., had victory in sight leading by three strokes heading into the final round of the Dominion Energy Charity Classic in Virginia but fellow rookie Phil Mickelson denied him the win. It was Weir’s third top-10 finish in eight starts on the tour.

PGA of Canada member Jennifer Greggain of Chilliwack, B.C., was named coach of the National Junior Squads by Golf Canada, working with head coach Robert Ratliffe.

Findlay Young of Prince George, B.C., a former Golf Canada president and honourary life governor, passed away at the age of 92.

November

Twenty-nine athletes, male and female, were named by Golf Canada to represent Team Canada as part of the 2021 national Amateur and Junior Squads. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all athletes from the 2020 squad were able to return in 2021, provided they met team eligibility criteria.

Aaron Cockerill of Stone Mountain, Man., finished T4 at the JoBurg Open in South Africa, his best career finish on the European Tour.

The Economic Impact of Golf in Canada (2019) report, conducted on behalf of the national Allied Golf Associations (We Are Golf), was released. Among its findings were that the Canadian golf industry generated $18.2 billion in economic benefits, employs the equivalent of nearly 249,000 people through direct and spin-off effects and contributed to $10.6 billion in household income.

⛳️ Accounts for an estimated $18.2B of Canada’s GDP
⛳️ Directly employed nearly 150,000 full-time positions
⛳️ Contributed $4.8B in household income

More on the 2019 Economic Impact of Golf in Canada
➡️ https://t.co/aTfPBoHUp3 pic.twitter.com/fg7f0Z2LAy

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) November 2, 2020

Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., finished in a tie for 10^th at the Masters, which was postponed from its traditional April date due to the pandemic. That finish guaranteed him a spot in the 2021 Masters.

 

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Golf Genius Software, the leading worldwide provider of tournament management solutions, announced that Golf Canada and the provincial golf associations will begin using Golf Genius Tournament Management for their competitions in 2021.

So while what lies ahead for 2021 remains unclear, we can only hope that when we compile next year’s “Year in Review,” life as we know it will have returned to a semblance of normality, on the course and off.

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. – The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced that the field for the 75th U.S. Women’s Open Championship is complete with the addition of 28 players who earned their way into the championship through the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings. The final major championship of the 2020 golf season will be contested Dec. 10-13 at Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas. The 156-player field for the championship is composed entirely of exempt players due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The historic 75th anniversary field boasts nine U.S. Women’s Open champions, while 42 players will be making their championship debuts in Houston. The field will also have seven Texas residents, including 2016 champion Brittany Lang, who grew up in McKinney.

The 28 players who gained entry via the Rolex Rankings are: Hae Ran Ryu, Sophia Popov, Ayaka Furue, Yuka Saso, Sakura Koiwai, Na Rin An, Song Yi Ahn, Erika Hara, Yuna Nishimura, Ji Hyun Kim, Anne van Dam, Alena Sharp, Lala Anai, Eri Okayama, Cristie Kerr, Pornanong Phatlum, Jun Min Lee, Ji Hun Oh, Emily Kirstine Pedersen, Mi Jeong Jeon, Maria Fernanda Torres, Bo Ah Kim, Teresa Lu, Wei-Ling Hsu, Ye Rim Choi, Asuka Kashiwabara, Sarah Schmelzel, and So Yi Kim.

?? tee times at the #USWomensOpen @BrookeHenderson – 10:37 a.m.@AlenaSharp – 11:21 a.m. pic.twitter.com/W24r2fgbJl

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) December 9, 2020

Hae Ran Ryu won the Jeju Samdasoo Masters in 2019 to earn her LPGA of Korea Tour card and successfully defended her title in August. The 19-year-old also has two runner-up finishes among her six top-10s this year. She will be making her U.S. Women’s Open debut.

Popov will be making her second U.S. Women’s Open start. Since turning professional in 2014, Popov has mainly played on the Symetra Tour, but she earned three tournament wins on the Cactus Tour during the COVID-19 break before earning her first major victory at the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Troon in August.

Kerr is one of the nine U.S. Women’s Open champions set to compete in Houston. The seasoned veteran earned her first major title in the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles, finishing two strokes ahead of the runners-up. Kerr has 20 LPGA Tour wins, including a second major championship title at the Women’s PGA Championship in 2010. This is Kerr’s 22nd straight Women’s Open appearance, with seven top-10 finishes in addition to her victory.

The USGA announced on April 3 that the 75th U.S. Women’s Open, initially scheduled for June 4-7, would be moved to Dec. 10-13. To account for reduced daylight, the Jackrabbit Course at Champions Golf Club will be used in Rounds 1 and 2 along with the Cypress Creek Course, which was originally slated to host all four rounds of championship play. In June, the USGA announced that the championship would be conducted without traditional qualifying and on Oct. 21, the USGA announced that the championship would not have fans on-site due to health and safety concerns resulting from the ongoing pandemic.

Considered the world’s premier women’s golf championship, the U.S. Women’s Open is one of 14 national championships conducted annually by the USGA. The championship began in 1946 and its winners include Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Betsy Rawls, Mickey Wright, Hollis Stacy, Amy Alcott, Meg Mallon, Annika Sorenstam, Se Ri Pak, Juli Inkster, Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer, Inbee Park and Michelle Wie.

Click here for the full field.

CALGARY—Canadians from coast-to-coast have chipped in to help the Shaw Charity Classic raise $12,572,483 for more than 200 youth-based charities across Alberta.

Nearly 3,000 generous and compassionate donors from British Columbia to Prince Edward Island built on the PGA TOUR Champions event’s legacy of giving – despite our inability to welcome the golfers and fans this year in Calgary due to COVID-19 restrictions – through the Shaw Birdies for Kids presented by AltaLink program.

“While we always look forward to gathering at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club each summer to watch spectacular golf by many of the game’s greatest players, what makes the event truly special is the unwavering commitment of the generous donors across the country who show up every year to support the charitable groups that are making our communities better places to live,” said Jim Riddell, Chair of the Shaw Charity Classic’s seven-member Patron Group, who together supported Calgary’s pandemic relief efforts in April with a $100,000 donation to four-local charities.

“We are humbled and touched by everything that has been accomplished, thanks to thousands of Canadians who have rallied together in a time of crisis to support hundreds of charities through this much-needed fundraising platform.”

The Shaw Charity Classic has been a game-changer for Alberta’s children’s charities since 2013, annually setting new records for the largest charitable give on the PGA TOUR Champions.

When Tournament Officials were forced to cancel the 2020 edition of the event in June as a result of COVID-19, they promised the Shaw Birdies for Kids presented by AltaLink program would continue.

The tournament’s title sponsor, Shaw Communications, along with the Shaw Family were first to step up in the annual fundraising drive with a commitment to match up to $2 million in community donations. Their leadership sparked a flood of donations throughout the summer months, resulting in the second-highest tally in the eight-year history of the event. The 2020 contributions bring the grand total impact of the Shaw Charity Classic on children’s charities in Alberta to more than $61 million.

“Beyond the legendary golf and the electric energy of the crowds that line the fairways, supporting the charities that work tirelessly to help improve the lives of Alberta’s youth and their families has always been at the heart of the Shaw Charity Classic,” said Brad Shaw, Executive Chair & CEO, Shaw Communications. “In a year that can only be described as challenging, it is inspiring and humbling to see how people have once again rallied together to support the charities that make such a difference.”

The Shaw Birdies for Kids presented by AltaLink program ramped up the tournament’s charitable giving arm when it was created in 2015. The program was designed to be integrated into charities’ existing fundraising efforts to help generate new funds in communities across the country. Each of the participating charities connected to the Shaw Charity Classic receive 100 per cent of all donations collected on their behalf, plus up to 50 per cent in matched funding provided by the Shaw Charity Classic.

Funds raised have helped deliver a positive impact for children in the areas of health, food support, family support, development and counselling, sports, arts, and youth programming during the pandemic. 

“We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of Albertans in supporting hundreds of children’s charities throughout our province since we helped launch the Birdies for Kids program,” said Scott Thon, AltaLink President & CEO. “Charities in our province need us now, more than ever, to stay operational. They are all experiencing increased pressure to ensure the health, safety and well-being of the families in our communities during this unprecedented time. We are proud to play an important role in helping make a positive difference in the lives of Alberta’s youth.”

The 2021 instalment of the Shaw Charity Classic is scheduled to take place August 11-15, at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club in Calgary.

SWITZERLAND –The International Golf Federation Board convened a virtual meeting yesterday focused on long-term strategic planning and progress toward next summer’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Originally scheduled for the Olympic House in Lausanne but moved online due to the continued impact of COVID-19, the Board was addressed by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach on the status of the Olympic movement and then followed by IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell, who provided updates and answered questions regarding preparations for Tokyo. The overarching message was one of determination and confidence that the Olympic competition will proceed as scheduled with particular focus on health, safety and the simplification and reduction of the complexity of the Games. The Board expressed support and a shared commitment to deliver the golf competition with safety for the athletes and all involved a top priority.

During his presentation at the beginning of the meeting, Bach recognized and thanked outgoing IGF President Peter Dawson for his 10 years of leadership and service. Dawson notified the Board that he would not seek reappointment when his current two-year term expires at the end of the year.

In light of Dawson’s decision, the IGF Board has elected Annika Sorenstam as the IGF President, effective January 1, 2021.

“It has been a great pleasure and privilege to serve as IGF President,” Dawson said. “Golf’s reinstatement to the Olympic programme was a landmark for our sport and it was a true thrill to witness our return at Rio 2016. Our Olympic status has been a strong catalyst for increasing cooperation and coordination between the major organisations in golf and has significantly strengthened the bonds between the IGF and our National Federations.

“My thanks go to so many people in golf and in the Olympic family for their support over the past 10 years,” he added. “Their help and goodwill have been invaluable. I wish my successor, Annika Sorenstam, every success. The IGF could not be in better hands.”

IGF Board Chairman Jay Monahan commended Dawson for his decade of service with the IGF.

“On behalf of the IGF Board, I want to extend our sincere gratitude to Peter for the outstanding job he has done over the past decade on behalf of the IGF, including helping to assure golf’s highly successful return to the Olympic Games,” said Monahan, Commissioner of the PGA TOUR. “Peter has had a distinguished career dedicated to the growth of golf and the IGF has been fortunate to have him as such a strong advocate.

“With Peter’s impending departure, we are thrilled to have someone as accomplished and universally respected as Annika Sorenstam to move into the role as IGF President. As a generational talent in women’s golf, Annika played a prominent role in golf’s successful Olympic bid by serving as a Global Ambassador with Jack Nicklaus and since retiring from competition, has been dedicated to promoting women’s golf at all levels through her foundation. She is the ideal person to succeed Peter in this role.”

“Peter did a great job the last 10 years as IGF President and I am humbled and honored to have been asked to succeed him,” Sorenstam said. “As an international player, having golf back in the Olympics means so much to me and to our sport.  I very much look forward to working with the Board, the IOC and the governing bodies of golf in their efforts to continue to grow the game globally.”

In addition to naming Sorenstam as the new IGF President, the Board appointed PGA TOUR executive Ty Votaw to another term as IGF Vice President.

In other business

• The Board approved the IGF’s Strategic Business Plan for 2021-28 and a budget for 2021. The Business Plan reflects the culmination of a 12-month process of consultation, input and guidance from the IGF Board and the IGF Administration. The plan lists the IGF’s key strategic priorities and outlines the activities it will deliver going forward and the finances required to do this.

• Beyond receiving an update on planning and preparations for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the Board received an update on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

• The Board also approved the revised version of its Policies and Charters, following the IGF Administration’s recent, thorough review of its governance and Policies and Charters to ensure they comply with statutory requirements, the IGF’s commitments with the Olympic Charter and in response to the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations’ third review of the IGF’s governance.

Golf Canada is pleased to announce that Kevin Blue has joined the National Sport Federation as its new Chief Sport Officer.

A dynamic and accomplished executive, coach, and high-performance golfer, Blue joins the Executive Team of the National Sport Federation after serving nearly five years as Director of Athletics for the University of California, Davis, an NCAA Division I institute.

His responsibilities with Golf Canada as Chief Sport Officer include the oversight, management and strategic development of key functional areas including golf services with a focus on membership; high-performance player development; sport and junior programs including First Tee – Canada; amateur competitions; and governing body activities across the Rules of Golf, Handicapping, Course Rating and Amateur Status. Blue will be a lead contact with numerous provincial, national, and international stakeholders.

“Kevin brings a depth of executive leadership experience across business, education, coaching and high-performance sport, and we are thrilled to have him elevate our sport, golf services and player development activities,” said Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum. “He is a transformative leader and passionate advocate for Canadian golf who will bring tremendous energy and enthusiasm to improving the golfer, facility and athlete experience at all levels.”

For Blue, born in Montreal and raised in Toronto, the opportunity to return to Canada to champion the growth of golf was an opportunity to apply his executive leadership experiences across the sport that has been a lifelong passion.

“Golf has impacted my life in extraordinary ways,” said Blue. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to return home and help to extend the reach of our sport to more Canadians. I’m also very excited to partner with our athletes, coaches, and many others in the golf community nation-wide to continue building Canada’s global prominence in the sport we love.”

As Director of Athletics for the University of California, Davis, Blue oversaw a $41M athletic department featuring 25 collegiate teams. He led record-setting fundraising campaigns at UC Davis that supported coaching endowments, athlete scholarships, and the construction of multi-million-dollar facilities including a $52M student-athlete performance centre currently under construction. In addition to facilitating all-time academic results for student-athletes and competitive success on the field of play, he implemented a formal diversity, equity and inclusion strategy for coaches and senior-level hires as well as mandatory implicit bias training for all employees.

Prior to joining UC Davis, Blue honed his executive management skills over three years as the Senior Associate Athletic Director, External Relations with Stanford University where he had oversight of key external business units including ticket sales, sponsorships, marketing, communications, business strategy, ticket operations, fan experience, and video. As a key member of the athletic department senior executive team, he contributed to strategic planning, policy, personnel, sponsor relations, and university integration in addition to launching the Pac-12 Network at Stanford. As a Lecturer at Stanford, he taught an introductory Sport Psychology course and constructed a curriculum that surveyed topics related to peak performance, talent development and mental health. He also taught a graduate level course on Strategic Management for Sport Business at the University of San Francisco.

Other leadership roles during his time at Stanford included three years as Associate Athletic Director and two years as an Athletics Department Fellow. Prior to Stanford, Blue was involved in high-performance golf, providing sport psychology and short game coaching to professional and elite amateur golfers.

An accomplished amateur golfer growing up in Toronto, Blue played in numerous provincial and national amateur competitions and spent time with Golf Canada’s National Junior Golf Team (prior to the formation of the Team Canada program) and represented Canada at the 2001 Toyota Junior Golf World Cup in Japan. He attended Stanford University on a varsity golf scholarship where he earned his B.A. in Psychology, was a captain on the golf team, and was an NCAA Academic All-American.

He went on to attend Michigan State University where earned his Ph.D. in Sport Psychology and then completed an executive education program at Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Blue has authored a multitude of articles on topics related to sport, education, and business.

Blue will be returning to Canada with his wife Betsy and their four children and is set to begin his role as Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer in early January 2021.

NOTE: pictures of Kevin Blue are available here.

WINNIPEG – After 23 years with Golf Manitoba, Garth Goodbrandson will retire as the Director of Player Development at the end of 2020.

Goodbrandson first began his career with Golf Manitoba in 1997 after 16 years as a PGA of Canada club professional. The move into coaching and leadership as the Director of Player Development for Golf Manitoba made him the first full time coach hired by any provincial golf association.

During his tenure with Golf Manitoba, Garth introduced thousands of young people to the sport of golf through golf in schools and rural instruction programs. In addition to grassroots programming, Garth became one of the top high-performance golf coaches in the country with many of his athletes achieving success at the junior, collegiate, amateur, and professional levels.

Photo: Bison Sports

In 1999, Goodbrandson, along with co-founder Derek Ingram, had a vision to expand high-performance golf opportunities by establishing the University of Manitoba golf program. Since the program’s inception, Goodbrandson has coached every Bison team until his retirement in the fall of 2019.  During his 20-year career with the Bisons, Goodbrandson’s teams amassed over 30 wins with the most notable coming in 2014 when the men’s team won the Canadian University & College Championship.  In recognition for winning the national championship, Goodbrandson was named Canadian University Golf Coach of the Year in 2014 and received the City of Winnipeg Outstanding Achievement Award in the same year.  The golf team was names as a finalist for the 2014 Manitoba Sportswriter/Sportscaster Team of the Year.

Throughout his career, Goodbrandson has been recognized by his peers and numerous golf and sports associations for his dedication and commitment to coaching.

Some notable highlights include being inducted to the Manitoba Golf Hall of Fame in 2016, awarded the PGA of Manitoba Coach of the Year in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and most recently, he was honored as the Sport Manitoba Male Coach of the Year in the spring of 2020.

“As the long-time coach of Golf Manitoba’s Development programs, Garth was a leader and pioneer in many areas.  Passion, dedication and care went into every program he developed but he was also extremely successful at the provincial and national level,” said Derek Ingram, Golf Canada Men’s National Amateur and Olympic Team Coach when reflecting on his fellow professional and long-time friend.

“Garth is an expert coach and has one of the best records over a long career, consistently punching above the provinces weight class. A lot of provincial and even national programs that exist now are an offshoot of Garth’s Golf Manitoba programs that he crafted. More important than his record, Garth is of the highest character, caring, thoughtful and loved by students, coaches, professionals and industry leaders alike.”

“Garth’s contributions to golfers in Manitoba are unmatched and we are thankful to have had him on our team for the past 23 years,” Golf Manitoba President Ken Warwick said, “He will be greatly missed.”

“Golf Manitoba owes a debt of gratitude to Garth for all he has done for our association and our golf community,” Golf Manitoba Executive Director Jared Ladobruk said. “Throughout his career, Garth has shown an incredible passion for coaching and has created many wonderful opportunities for young Manitoba golfers. He is a gentleman, a consummate professional and has been a tremendous ambassador of our association and of golf over the years. We are sad to see him move on but at the same time extremely happy for him as he begins this new adventure.”

The PGA Tour has acquired a minority stake in the European Tour’s media production company as part of an alliance announced Friday, a big first step toward developing a more unified golf schedule around the world.

The deal effectively makes the two leading tours more partners than rivals. The tours said in a statement the alliance would allow them to collaborate on commercial opportunities and global media rights in certain territories.

“The PGA Tour moves from a competitor to a partner,” Keith Pelley, chief executive for the European Tour, said on a conference call.

While seen as a pivotal first step, any notion of a world tour _ which golf executives have contemplated for more than a decade _ remains some years away. The immediate goal is to figure out a schedule that keeps the tours from competing against each other and strengthening events on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond.

Pelley offered few details on scheduling, access to tours or even negotiating media rights.

As part of the agreement, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan will join the European Tour board as a non-executive member who would have a vote. “They have a monetary investment in our business,” he said of the PGA Tour.

Pelley said the board’s approval of the partnership was unanimous.

The announcement is likely to put an end to the Premier Golf League, which a year ago was courting the world’s best players for a team-based circuit and funded in part by Saudi money. Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka rejected the idea right before the pandemic.

Pelley said The Raine Group, a private equity firm behind the Premier Golf League, presented a “compelling offer to take the European Tour to another level but in a different direction.”

“We felt partnering with the PGA Tour was the best option,” he said.

Pelley said the partnership grew out of golf organizations having to work together at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to rearrange the major championship season for men and women.

“We shared the challenges of working through a year neither of us could have ever imagined and we found definite synergies in many areas of our respective tours,” Pelley said.

The announcement comes toward the end of a devastating year financially for both tours. The PGA Tour has lost more money than the European one because of its size, though it had more in reserve to handle the crisis.

The PGA Tour shut down for three months, and then resumed June 8 and played a tournament every week except for this one, with no reduction in prize money. Two of its Asia tournaments, in South Korean and Japan, moved to the western U.S. with a purse of $9.75 million (CJ Cup at Shadow Creek) and $8 million (Zozo Championship at Sherwood).

The European Tour resumed in July with a series of new tournaments geared toward giving its members events to play while maintaining a strict bubble to protect against the spread of the coronavirus. Players would stay in regions such as the Iberian peninsula and the U.K., though the total purse was rarely more than 1 million euros.

The exceptions were the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, the flagship event at its headquarters, the Scottish Open and the DP World Tour Championship next month in Dubai.

The gap between the tours has grown so much in the last decade there have been rumblings of a merger of the tours, or even a takeover, given the PGA Tour’s wealth. Monahan referred only to a partnership, and said “we look forward to working together for the benefit of the men’s professional game and for golf fans around the world.”

Pelley strongly disputed the notion of a merger, suggesting that would happen only if the tour had financial difficulties or there were significant benefits for the players. He said the European Tour had a strong balance sheet, which allowed it to create 15 new events during the pandemic and spend $3 million on a health and safety plan.

“This is not a merger,” he said.

A week before the pandemic, the PGA Tour announced a new media rights deal that starts in 2022 and is said to be worth $7 billion over nine years, which includes digital. The tour also has a 12-year deal with Discovery, which owns Golf TV.

London-based Discovery also is a rights holder for the European Tour, which has various contracts with TV companies, given its schedule that plays in more countries than any tour.

The PGA Tour has become so lucrative that Europe’s best players have taken up membership on both tours. Of the 20 Europeans among the top 75 in the world, only four are not PGA Tour members.