PORTLAND, Ore. – Brooke Henderson has come a long way since her win last year in Portland.

Back then she didn’t even have LPGA Tour status. She was a Monday qualifier for the Portland Classic, urged to try for a spot in the field by her older sister.

She went on to become just the second Monday qualifier to win an LPGA event, and she did it in decisive fashion, winning by eight strokes.

She was just 17 years old.

“It’s definitely been an incredible 18 months, turning pro at 17 and then didn’t have status on the LPGA tour, and was trying to play my way into events and just trying to see what would happen,” Henderson said. “I really took the best advantage of the opportunities I was given and I won here last year, which really changed my whole career.”

The Canadian teenager has since climbed her way up the rankings, reaching No. 2. She’s third on the money list this year. And she’s got a major championship – she won the Women’s PGA Championship two weeks ago by defeating top-ranked Lydia Ko in a playoff.

Ko opted out of playing in Portland.

With her Portland win last year, Henderson became the third-youngest champion in LPGA Tour history at 17 years, 11 months, and six days. She was the first Canadian to win on the tour since Lorie Kane in 2001.

“It was definitely a huge stepping stone for me,” Henderson said. “Right afterward I did try to soak it all in. Then I moved right into the Canadian Open, where it was a huge celebration all over Canada with Canadian fans and that was really cool. It definitely was a huge accomplishment here and I hope that maybe this year I’ll win by nine.”

SKIPPING PORTLAND: Thirty-seven of the top 50 players are skipping the Portland stop. Many players are opting to take this week off ahead of the U.S. Women’s Open next week in California. Normally the Portland tournament is popular among the women, but it was moved up in the schedule this year because the LPGA is taking three weeks off for the Olympics. For the past 11 years the event has been held in August.

RIO BOUND: The field for the Portland Classic includes 20 players from 16 different nations who are set to play in the Rio Olympics this summer. Henderson will represent her native Canada, and Stacy Lewis is set to play for the United States.

But South Africa’s Lee-Anne Pace announced Wednesday that she is withdrawing from the Olympics over concern about the Zika virus.

“I hope that everyone can understand that this was a very difficult decision to come to, however my health and my future family’s health must come first,” said Pace, who is ranked 38th in the world.

Several PGA players have pulled out of the Olympics citing concern about the Zika virus (including Australian Jason Day and Ireland’s Shane Lowry this week), but none of their LPGA counterparts had until Pace.

YOUTH IS SERVED: Mariel Galdiano earned a spot in the Portland Classic in the Monday qualifier. The 18-year-old, about to start her freshman year at UCLA, said the fact that Henderson won as a Monday qualifier is not lost on her. In fact, the average age of tour winners this year is just over 21.

“(It) definitely shows how young the game is getting and how close we are as junior golfers, how close our dreams are and how good we can become,” she said.

Galdiano comes from Hawaii where she went to the prestigious Punahou School, which boasts famous alumni including Michelle Wie and President Barack Obama.

THE DETAILS: The Portland Classic is the longest-running non-major on the LPGA Tour, now in its 45th year. The 72-hole event at Columbia Edgewater Country Club starts Thursday and runs through Sunday, with a cut to 70 after the first 36 holes. This year’s purse is $1.3 million, with $195,000 going to the winner.

Course superintendents are golf’s equivalent of hockey goalies.

Almost inevitably, when they’re winning, they get little credit. When they’re losing, they get the bulk of the blame.

It’s a tough and often thankless job.

Now imagine if a goalie was prevented from using his stick, then his pads and, eventually, his mask. With no one willing to dole out the dollars to provide him with alternative protection or means of defence.

Unlike goalies, who protect an area six feet wide, four feet tall and 44 inches deep against six other players, superintendents protect hundreds of acres for the enjoyment of tens of thousands of golfers.

Like that hapless, hypothetical, increasingly defenceless goalie, superintendents are being stripped of traditional methods to maintain the near-pristine turfgrass conditions that modern golfers have come to demand. But they, with the support of turfgrass research foundations across the country, are actively pursuing alternatives.

Not surprisingly, those alternatives come at a cost. And that is where Canada’s golfers come in. (That would be you.)

“We are dedicated to sustainable golf,” says Sean Gunn, President of the Ontario Turfgrass Research Foundation. “Without healthy turf, there are no golf courses. We, more than anyone else, understand that we have to move away from synthetic, chemical solutions to turf diseases.

“We, as an industry, are making great progress, but we need a lot more money to continue that progress.”

Gunn is the superintendent at The Country Club, a 45-hole facility in Woodbridge, Ont. His vision is to elevate the importance of turfgrass research in the minds, and wallets, of golfers.

It’s a tough sell.

Unlike other very worthwhile but more heart-touching golf-related fundraising efforts which feature cute kids, current research efforts by the Canadian Turfgrass Research Foundation and its regional counterparts include causes such as “the effect of snow cover and anti-transparents on the persistence of snow mould fungicides,” “rolling and resistance, a means to reduced fungicide usage on golf course greens, “selection and management of creeping bentgrass for improved resistance to Fusarium Patch under current and future conditions,” etc., etc.

Cute? No. Essential? Yes.

For example, Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency recently asked for input on the use of chlorothanlonil, a chemical used to control various agricultural diseases, including the chronic and pernicious “dollar spot” fungus on turfgrass. Gunn thinks the outcome of their evaluation will be the banning of its use on courses.

“Dollar-spot control costs the average 18-hole course about $15,000 every year,” says Gunn. “Dollar spot on a golf course is like the common cold for a human. It’s inevitable. Obviously, if we could discover a natural antidote or preventative, we would prefer to use that from an environmental and budget perspective. But that takes research and research takes money.”

Currently, OTRF research priorities include pesticide alternatives, environmental considerations, nutrient management, drainage improvements, and athletic field management.

Healthy turf, whether on a golf course, soccer field, park or lawn, offers myriad benefits. It reduces runoff, prevents erosion, replenishes oxygen and carbon, and so on. And it makes for that perfect lie in the fairway, a true roll on a quick green … or deep, lush rough.

“Donating to turfgrass research is an investment in the game of golf,” says Gunn. “We have good support from the industry but we need financial donations from the golfing public to continue to grow the game, literally and figuratively.”

To find out more about turfgrass research in Canada, visit www.turfresearchcanada.ca. Or, check out your regional association below.

Ontario Turf Research Foundation
Debbie Conrad
328 Victoria Rd South
Guelph, Ontario N1H 0H2
dconrad@otrf.ca
Website – www.otrf.ca

Western Canada Turfgrass Association
Jerry Rousseau
P.O. Box 698
Hope, BC V0X 2L0
exec.director@wctaturf.com

Alberta Turfgrass Research Foundation
Cory Mossing
4500-50th Street
Olds, Alberta T4H 1R6
cmossing@oldscollege.ca

Quebec Turfgrass Research Foundation
Benoit Huot
294 Rang St-Paul Sud
Sherrington, Quebec J0L 2N0
bhout@ojcompagnie.com

Atlantic Turfgrass Research Foundation
Kevin Wentzell
P.O. Box 2063 Fall River
Nova Scotia, B2T 1K6
Kevin_wentzell@yahoo.ca

In 2015, Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada partnered with the University of Ottawa to develop a Life Skills model for junior programming, designed to place added focus on core values learned through golf, and their relevance to social and peer-to-peer environments.

An important feature of the Life Skills model is the philosophy that youth should be provided with opportunities to develop both intrapersonal and interpersonal life skills through golf. Intrapersonal skills refer to skills that are more internal in nature whereas interpersonal skills refer to skills that are more useful during social interactions. In the model, four intrapersonal skills and four interpersonal skills are included to ensure a balance between these two areas of focus.

The eight Life Skills in the model are focus, sportspersonship, perseverance, goal setting, emotional regulation, honesty, teamwork and respect.

The Life Skills were first integrated into the Golf in Schools teacher-friendly learning resource, and have since been added to Canada’s junior golf program, CN Future Links, through its feature Learn to Play offering.

Lesson plans include relevant life examples, learning outcomes, and specific skill-related drills.

To find a junior opportunity in your area at golfcanada.ca/juniors

BRAMPTON, Ont. – Local and international amateur golfers gathered at the Brampton Golf Club to compete for three available exemptions into the 2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, Pa., from August 1-7. Kelsey Murphy of Plymouth, Mich., claimed medallist honours with a 4-under 67 showing.

The 21-year-old sunk five birdies and was bogey-free until her final hole to secure a four-stroke victory.

“I played really consistent throughout the day, and when I did get in trouble, I was able to get myself out of it,” she said. “I really like the golf course. I’ve played it a couple times before so I was really excited to be able to compete here.”

Team Canada National Team member Maddie Szeryk (London, Ont.) and Jessica Ip (Richmond Hill, Ont.) earned the remaining two exemptions with matching 71s.

“It’s awesome that they’re putting this in Canada because we all get a very good opportunity to compete now,” said Szeryk. “It’s always amazing when you get to represent your country, especially at such a big event.”

This tournament marks the first time a Canadian club has played host to a U.S. Amateur Championship qualifier. Marine Drive Golf Club in Vancouver will host a U.S. Men’s Amateur qualifier on July 18.

MEDICINE HAT, Alta. – Medicine Hat Golf & Country Club will host a field of 109 junior golfers from July 4-6 for the 2016 CN Future Links Western Championship. The fifth of six CN Future Links Championships is conducted in partnership with CN to promote and develop the game of golf among the nation’s junior-aged athletes.

The host club of the 54-hole competition was first established in 1913 at the top of Porter Hill, just east of the city. In 1934, the club relocated to its current location, perched atop scenic cliffs overlooking the South Saskatchewan River.

“Golf Canada is thrilled to bring this year’s CN Future Links Western Championship to the city of Medicine Hat and its golfing community. Medicine Hat Golf & Country Club is in fantastic shape and will serve as a great backdrop for this event, while drawing out the best from our competitors,” said Tournament Director Dan Hyatt.

Team Canada Development Squad member Alexander Smith of Calgary and Kade Johnson from Yorkton, Sask., will attempt to improve upon the shares of fourth they claimed at the 2015 edition of this tournament at Goose Hummock Golf Course in Gibbons, Alta. They will be joined by Chris Horton (Calgary), Max Sekulic (Rycroft, Alta.), and Ethan Choi (Pincher Creek, Alta.) who look to best their Top-10 results from one year ago.

The Junior Girls division will welcome back five players from last year’s Top-10. Kenna Hughes will defend her 2015 title alongside fellow Calgarians Kehler Koss (2nd), Sharmaine Rapisura (4th), and Annabelle Ackroyd (T10). Redcliffe, Alta., product Lauren Koenig will play in hopes of building upon her T7 result.

The host city of Medicine Hat will be well-represented with five local players in contention. Matt Bering and Michael Valk will have a chance to win on home soil, while Medicine Hat Golf & Country Club members Ronnie Postnikoff, Ryan Hodgins and Sam Bratvold hope to hold home-course advantage.

The CN Future Links Atlantic Championship – the junior series’ final event of the 2016 season – will be conducted at Countryview Golf Club in Fairview, P.E.I., from July 12-14.

The top six finishers in the Junior Boys division will earn exemptions into the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship to be contested August 1-4 at Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s, N.L. In the case of ties, exemptions will be decided via hole-by-hole playoff. All players in the Top-6, including ties, in the Junior Girls division will earn entry into this year’s Canadian Junior Girls Championship, hosted by The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, N.S., from August 2-5.

Additional information regarding the 2016 CN Future Links Western Championship, including participants, start times and up-to-date results can be found here.

Dusseldorf, Germany’s Max Rottluff and Raleigh, North Carolina’s Carter Jenkins reached 12-under par through two rounds on Friday at Dakota Dunes Golf Links to share the 36-hole lead at the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada’s SIGA Dakota Dunes Open.

Rottluff and Jenkins, who both turned professional earlier this year after concluding their college careers, played together the first two days and carded identical rounds of 67-65 over the first two days to lead by one over Calgary, Alberta’s James Love and Orlando, Florida’s Ross Beal.

“He bombs the ball and it’s fun to watch, so we were having a good time for sure,” said Rottluff, a 2015 1^st team NCAA All-American at Arizona State, of his high-octane grouping with Jenkins.

Jenkins, a 20-year old who turned pro following his junior season at the University of North Carolina this spring, said he enjoyed treating the pairing like match play and fuelled his own solid play by watching Rottluff.

“He got off to a great start and eagled No. 2, which was our 11th hole. That put him to 10-under, and I had a 4- or 5-footer for birdie on that same hole to get to nine, so I definitely tried my hardest to catch him, and it was great to have someone to feed off of,” said Jenkins.

With both players heading straight from the conclusion of their college seasons to the Mackenzie Tour last month, a week off after the GolfBC Championship was a welcome sight, bringing a chance for a refreshed approach this week in Saskatoon.

“It was nice to have the off week and to settle back down and think about what happened in the first two weeks. I missed the cut in both events with good opening rounds, so that was definitely disappointing, but I didn’t feel like my game was very far off,” said Rottluff, echoing similar comments from Jenkins.

“It was nice to have an off week, especially coming straight from college and having three weeks in a row. It was nice to get home for a few days and see the family, see my coach and get a little work done,” said Jenkins.

One shot behind were Beal and Love, with Harare, Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent and Chilliwack, British Columbia’s Brad Clapp a shot further behind at 10-under.

ROGERS, Ark. – One of Ayako Uehara’s best memories in her four full-time seasons on the LPGA Tour is a hole-in-one she made in her first appearance at the NW Arkansas Championship in 2013.

Uehara added to her growing list of memorable moments at Pinnacle Country Club by shooting a career-best 62 in the opening round Friday.

The 9-under round matched the course record and gave the Japanese player a two-stroke lead, a remarkable position for a player who entered the week ranked 214th in the world after struggling with her game for much of the year.

Uehara needed only 25 putts and made nine birdies in her bogey-free round, a score that bested her previous career low of 63 she posted in Malaysia in 2014. That was a year after her first appearance in northwest Arkansas, where she holed out on the par-3 17th on her way to a 25th-place finish.

It’s a moment she’s relived countless times since, especially in the days leading to the start of this week’s tournament.

“Since I got here this year, I’ve been watching this video of this hole-in-one many times,” Uehara said. “Also, I show my caddie.”

Taiwan’s Candie Kung had a 64, and 13 players, including Hamilton’s Alena Sharp, are tied for third at 65.

Uehara will tee off Saturday afternoon in pursuit of her first career victory, and at the very least looking to earn only her fourth career top-10 finish in 76 tournaments.

“The course conditions will be different, so we have to make good judgment decisions and we’ll go from there,” Uehara said.

Playing in muggy conditions after overnight rain, Uehara took advantage of the soft greens during the morning to match the course record of 62 set by Angela Park and Jane Park in 2008.

Uehara, whose best finish in an LPGA Tour event is third in Japan in the 2012 Mizuno Classic, missed the cut in eight of her first nine tournaments to begin this year. However, she entered this weekend having finished 39th or better in five of her last six events – an improvement in play she carried over to Friday.

After a pair of birdies on her opening nine, Uehara birdied four of the first five holes after the turn, including three straight to reach 7 under. She then reached 9 under with a closing birdie on the par-4 ninth, capping a round in which she hit 11 of 13 fairways and 16 of 18 greens in regulation.

Uehara finished 4 under at the NW Arkansas Championship during her rookie season in 2013, tying for 25th. However, she missed the cut at the event in each of the last two seasons before putting together her career-best round on Friday.

Top-ranked Lydia Ko opened the tournament with a 5-under 66, while local favorite Stacy Lewis shot a 4-under 67.

Ko and Lewis were paired together with Minjee Lee – who finished with a 65 – and the trio attracted the largest gallery of the morning at the 6,330-yard Pinnacle Country Club.

Lewis, the former world No. 1 who played collegiately at nearby Arkansas, hasn’t won since her victory in the event two years ago.

However, she continued to draw large cheers of “Woo Pig Sooie” from the Razorbacks fans and finished with the 67. She had 31 putts, missing an 8-foot birdie attempt on her final hole of the day.

Ko, meanwhile, closed her round with a flurry while in search of her third victory of the year. The New Zealander, after opening on the back nine, eagled the par-5 seventh with a 35-foot putt, and she recovered from a poor chip and bogey on No. 8 with a short birdie putt on the ninth.

Second-ranked Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a 69. She beat Ko in a playoff two weeks ago in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship outside Seattle.

Maude-Aimée Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., and Kelowna, B.C., native Samantha Richdale are tied for 89th at even par.

Michelle Wie had a 71, and defending champion Na Yeon Choi shot 75.

BETHESDA, Md. – Jon Rahm was surprised about the level of fan support he has received at the Quicken Loans National, far away from his native Spain and where he went to school at Arizona State.

It helped that Rahm was playing with local guy Bobby Hurley III and helped even more that the two players went shot-for-shot Friday to share the lead. Rahm and Hurley were tied at 11 under, three strokes ahead of Vijay Singh going into the weekend at Congressional.

Rahm, who’s playing his first event as a professional, said he couldn’t be happier by following a great first round with a second-round 67.

“I’m just lucky to be here today,” said Rahm, who led Thursday after a 64. “If you tell me 10 years ago when I was 11 years old that I would be leading a PGA Tour event when I was 21, I wouldn’t believe you.”

Rahm would’ve had sole possession of the lead had he not missed a 10-foot par putt on the 18th hole. As a result, he was tied with Hurley, a Naval Academy graduate who lives in nearby Annapolis and grew up in Leesburg, Virginia.

Hearing chants of the Annapolis zip code and more from the galleries, Hurley shot a 6-under 65.

“I just hit a lot of good shots,” Hurley said. “I was just able to keep the pedal down and continue to attack the golf course, which is not something you usually do around Congressional. But being soft I was able to take advantage of the conditions and get the ball a little closer to the hole than you’re used to.”

Before Rahm and Hurley even got onto the Blue Course on Friday, Singh put on a show to rival what Ernie Els did Thursday. Singh turned in a 66 that was most memorable for his shot from the edge of the water on No. 18.

The 53-year-old Singh hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since 2008. He would be the oldest PGA Tour winner if he captures the Quicken Loans National, but said he wasn’t thinking about making that kind of history.

“It would be good to win,” the three-time major champion said. “But it’s only halfway, so I’ll be focused on my game tomorrow and see what happens.”

Singh looked to be in trouble on the 18th when he hit into the rough under a tree and then landed his approach shot just inches from the water. He rolled up his pants and waded in to hit the shot that dropped him to 8 under at Tiger Woods’ annual tournament.

“I was unfortunate that it went that far in and fortunate that it stayed out,” Singh said. “I kept sinking when I got in the water. I started out with just my foot in the water and then it started getting up to my ankles. The more I moved the deeper I went, so I kind of had to play a very safe shot. I got away with a bogey.”

Els bogeyed holes Nos. 1 and 18 but played well enough in between to finish with a 69 to get to 7 under along with Webb Simpson (68), Bill Haas (69) and Harold Varner III (69). The 46-year-old Els said he has to be happy with where he’s at and hopes he and Singh can play well Saturday to set up a vintage showdown.

“I’m not quite as old as Vijay, but I’m getting there,” Els said. “He’s obviously a legend of the game and done so much for the Tour and a great champion. I know he’s been working hard on his game and he’s been quietly optimistic. Same with me. I’d love to maybe see if we can really go low tomorrow and see him on tomorrow.”

Sixth-ranked Rickie Fowler had just one bogey in his second round, shooting 68 to get to 6 under. Fowler ended his streak of missed cuts at three.

“I was able to just kind of stay patient and give myself a lot of looks at birdie, which is always good,” Fowler said. “Nice to have a tee time on the weekend.”

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., carded a 4-under 67 to hold a share of 11th, and Abbotsford, B.C., native Nick Taylor is tied for 25th at 3-under.

MADISON, Wis. – Gene Sauers rebounded from a bulging disk to share the first-round lead with Estaban Toledo on Friday in the PGA Tour Champions’ inaugural American Family Insurance Championship.

The 53-year-old Sauers matched Toledo with a 9-under 63 in front of large galleries at University Ridge. Sauers withdrew from the Constellation Senior Players Championship two weeks ago in Pennsylvania because of the disk problem.

“I had to go home, see my doctor, and I didn’t play for like seven, eight days,” Sauers said. “Of course, we had the week off prior, which was great, which helped me. And saw my teacher at home, he got me kind of straightened out. Coming here this week I had a lot of good thoughts coming into this week. … Hopefully, I can make it the next few more days.”

Sauers closed his bogey-free round with a birdie on the par-5 ninth.

“It’s a great golf course,” Sauers said. “The front side is kind of wide open and then the back nine is tree-lined, so it’s a good mixture. The golf course is in great shape. The greens are perfect. What more can you ask for? You know, shooting 9 under is pretty good out here on this track. It’s not a real easy golf course. You’ve got to just concentrate on fairways and greens and give yourself opportunities.”

The three-time PGA Tour winner has successfully fought the rare skin condition Stevens-Johnson syndrome to continue his career. He has four runner-up finishes in 81 career starts on the 50-and-over tour.

Toledo made five straight birdies on his first nine, added three more on Nos. 1, 2 and 4 and capped his bogey-free round with another on the ninth. The 53-year-old Mexican player won the Allianz Championship in February for his fourth senior title.

Fran Quin was a stroke back, making six birdies in an eight-hole stretch that ended on the par-5 16th. The 51-year-old Quin has finished in the top 25 in all three of his tour starts this year.

Kevin Sutherland and Tom Byrum shot 65, and Fred Funk, Duffy Waldorf, Loren Roberts and Bart Bryan followed at 66.

Large crowds followed the players in event that hometown PGA Tour player Steve Stricker helped launch and hosts. He turns 50 in February and will be eligible to play next year.

“We can’t ask for anything more,” Sutherland said. “There was a lot of people out there today. It was amazing to see everybody out here. I think it says a locality about Steve Stricker, about the way people feel about him around here, and they should. He’s a tremendous human being, he’s obviously a great golfer. So this says a lot about Steve, says a lot about Madison. It’s been fantastic.”

Bernhard Langer topped the group at 67. The 58-year-old German star is coming off a victory two weeks ago in the Constellation Senior Players Championship, his second major win of the year. He has three overall victories this year to push his senior total to 28.

“I just didn’t make any putts on the back nine,” Langer said. “Played pretty good, but the greens were a bit on the slow side, so I left a couple short and didn’t get it close enough. But overall it’s a solid round. I’m right there. Got two days to catch up.”

John Daly opened with a 71, also finishing with a birdie on No. 9. He’s making his sixth tour start since turning 50 in late April.

St. Catharines, Ont., resident Rod Spittle and Victoria B.C., native Jim Rutledge shot matching 70s for shares of 42nd.

The Olympic trophy is in the midst of a historic and timely renaissance. Golf’s return to the Games this summer has ramped up interest in the beautiful sterling silver chalice to an unprecedented, never-before-seen level. For decades it remained cloaked in relative obscurity. No more.

Golf Channel showcased the trophy earlier this year in a segment on Morning Drive. It has made public appearances in support of Olympic golf, including at this year’s PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla., and last year’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and RBC Canadian Open. Highlighting a busy upcoming schedule it will tentatively be on display during the Open Championship at Royal Troon, be flown back from Scotland for the RBC Canadian Open the following week, then tentatively be in Rio de Janeiro August 5-21 for the men’s and women’s Olympic golf competitions.

Awarded to Toronto’s George S. Lyon in 1904, the Olympic trophy has never shined quite as brilliantly as it has of late. On permanent display at the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame & Museum on the grounds of Glen Abbey in Oakville, Ont., this uptick in attention has put it into the conversation among the game’s grandest trophies.

“During many Canadian Opens that I played at Glen Abbey, I had a chance to see the Olympic individual trophy George Lyon won several times,” said two-time Masters champion and noted golf historian, Ben Crenshaw. “Mr. Lyon was one of the great amateur golfers in Canadian history. I’ve also read he was a very fine player, with his crowning achievement being his Olympic win in that playoff with Chandler Egan in St. Louis in 1904. It’s a shame he didn’t get the chance to defend the trophy with golf cancelled out of the Olympics in 1908.”

Lyon’s fellow countrymen will take up that quest on his behalf. More than a century later Canada’s Olympic golf team heads to Brazil as the defending gold medallists. The trophy is a symbolic reminder of that victory, a feat that ranks right alongside Mike Weir’s victory at the 2003 Masters as one of this country’s greatest golfing achievements.

“There’s kind of an aura about the trophy,” says PGA Tour winner Nick Taylor, one of the players vying for a spot on the Olympic men’s team. “When you’re around it you feel it. It’s pretty special.”

Lorne Rubenstein can relate to Taylor’s viewpoint. The renowned national writer’s first job in golf was as curator of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, Museum & Library during its time in a spacious room on the ground floor of the old Jesuit retreat at Glen Abbey. Now a Hall of Fame member himself, Rubenstein fondly recalls the hours he spent in such close proximity to the iconic piece of golf history.

“The Olympic trophy took pride of place on a stand all its own, in a central part of the museum,” recalls Rubenstein. “I was in the museum every day, and, every day, I would make my way over to this ornate, grand trophy that seemed to stand sentinel over the room, bathed in light pouring in through the leaded windows. It seemed almost mystical to me. The trophy belonged to Canada, to all golfers. I often wondered if we would again see golf in the Olympics, and if golfers from around the world might even again compete for this iconic trophy — so special among all the trophies in the game.”

Made of 26-point sterling silver, the trophy — along with all trophies and medals awarded for golf at the 1904 Games in St. Louis — was commissioned by host course Glen Echo Country Club. Local business J. Bolland Jeweller Co. designed and manufactured the trophy, which features the stately Glen Echo clubhouse on one side.

Fred Lyon, George S. Lyon’s son, donated the trophy along with the clubs his father used in the Olympic Games during his time as a Royal Canadian Golf Association (now Golf Canada) governor back in the late 1950s.

“The RCGA had started to collect memorabilia and artefacts for a potential museum and library in the 1950s,” explains Meggan Gardner, current Canadian Golf Hall of Fame curator. “It was a generous donation of a treasured Lyon family heirloom. It’s certainly our crown jewel.”

And as Rubenstein points out, Canadian golf’s crown jewel is about to go global.

“There was nothing like it. There still is nothing like it,” he says. “In my mind’s eye I still see the trophy in the museum, drawing me in, drawing in all visitors just as it will draw the world’s attention this summer for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.”

Olympic trophy This article was originally published in the May 2016 edition of Golf Canada Magazine. To view the full magazine, click the image to the left.