MIDLAND, Ont. – Temperatures flared at Midland Golf & Country Club during the second round of the CN Future Links Ontario Championship. Monet Chun claimed sole possession of the lead in the Junior Girls division, while James Parsons and Brandon Lacasse share top spot in the Junior Boys division.

Chun of Richmond Hill, Ont., shot 1-under 69 to improve upon her opening-round 72. The 15-year-old tallied four birdies, including two back-to-back on holes 13 and 14, en route to a 1-under 35 across the back nine.

Three Team Canada Women’s Development Squad members are within the Top-5. First round leader Grace St-Germain (Orleans, Ont.) carded a 5-over 75 and sits two strokes behind Chun. Teammate Hannah Lee of Surrey, B.C., sunk five birdies for a 1-over 71 and shares 3rd with London, Ont., native Isabella Portokalis. National Team member Tiffany Kong of Vancouver also recorded five birdies on the day, advancing to T5.

The low round of the day in the Junior Girls division came courtesy of Ellie Szeryk. The dual-citizen and product of London, Ont., collected six birdies and finished 2-under 68 to climb into a share of 5th. Chloe Currie of Mississauga, Ont., and Kathrine Chan of Richmond, B.C., are T12 and T17, respectively.

The Junior Boys’ top-spot is split between James Parsons of Almonte, Ont., and Brandon Lacasse of Châteauguay, Que. The pair sit 2-over 142 and hold a one-stroke advantage after matching 70s on the day.

Jake Bryson of Dunrobin, Ont., is third following a 73. The 16-year-old was one of three players to collect an eagle on the day. Two Ontarians – Thomas Code of Dorchester and Toronto’s Tyler Nagano – are tied at 4-over to complete the Top-5 in the Junior Boys division. Men’s Development Squad member Thomas ‘Jack’ Simpson (Aurora, Ont.) is part of a six-way tie for 21st.

The top six finalists in the Junior Boys division will earn exemptions into the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship at Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s, N.L., from August 1-4. Exemptions will be decided via a hole-by-hole playoff in the case of ties. All competitors in the Top-6, including ties, in the Junior Girls division will gain exemptions into the Canadian Junior Girls Championship. The tournament will be held August 2-5 at The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, N.S.

The second day of competition will see the Junior Boys division tee-off at 7 a.m. before the Junior Girls take to the course at 11:10 a.m. Additional information, including pairings and up-to-date scoring is available here.

FORT WORTH, Texas – Bryce Molder would have a magical number if he could combine his front-nine scores through two days at Colonial into one round.

Bolstered by 11 combined birdies on Nos. 1-9 at Hogan’s Alley, Molder had a one-stroke lead with three holes to play Friday in the Dean & Deluca Invitational when second-round play was suspended because of darkness.

“It kind of tale of two nines even though I didn’t finish the second nine,” Molder said “The first nine was really clean. … Everything was going right.”

At 9 under, Molder was a stroke ahead of Webb Simpson and two in front of second-ranked Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed. Simpson and Spieth completed their rounds.

Molder was the first-round leader after an opening 64 with six birdies on the front nine. He had five more birdies on that side Friday, which would translate to a 59 – that is the best score ever shot on the PGA Tour.

“You know, I thought about that when I was on No. 6 today,” Molder said. “That was fun. I mean, I wish I could have just turned back around, teed off on No. 1 and just kept going because that side has been really good to me.”

Play was stopped at 8:21 p.m. with 61 of the 121 players still on the course. They will return to complete the second round Saturday morning, scheduled to resume just more than 11 hours after stopping. The third round will be played after the cut is made.

Simpson was 8 under after a 67.

Spieth shot a 66 with four birdies in five holes after turning to the front nine.

Reed had 10 holes left. He has a PGA Tour-high eight top-10 finishes this season.

Molder’s only slip-up was a double bogey at the 441-yard 12th, when he hit his first two shots into the rough and three-putted from 27 feet not long before play was stopped Friday.

In his first round Thursday, Molder was in the first group off the No. 10 tee. He got to his seventh hole before a 75-minute weather delay, then came out to finish the seventh of his nine consecutive pars before all his birdies on the front side.

There were consecutive birdies after starting at No. 1 on Friday, and Molder hit his approach from 188 yards at the difficult fifth hole to 2 feet for another birdie. He chipped in from the front bunker at the par-3 eighth.

Spieth goes into the weekend in contention at home for the second week in a row, and at Colonial for the second year in a row. He tied for second in the 2015 Colonial, one stroke behind Chris Kirk.

The 22-year-old Dallas native was a stroke out of the lead after two rounds last week at the Byron Nelson, and was alone in second going into the final round before a closing 74 that left him tied for 18th.

This week, Spieth said he is much more comfortable with his swing and his game overall midway through the tournament.

“Much better, yeah. I’d say it’s up there close to if I want to have it 100 percent trust by major time. It’s creeping up,” said Spieth, the defending U.S. Open champ playing his third tournament since blowing a five-stroke lead on the back nine when trying to win his second consecutive Masters last month. “Big step up from last week. It’s getting close.”

After starting the second round with a three-putt bogey at the 408-yard 10th, Spieth had a couple of short birdies before another bogey at the 192-yard 16th. His 35-foot downhill putt that he hit at a 90-degree angle picked up speed and went 15 feet past the hole.

His birdie rush after the turn went through Nos. 4 and 5, the 221-yard par 3 followed by the 472-yard hole along the Trinity River that wrap up a difficult trio of holes known as Colonial’s “horrible horseshoe.”

Simpson had 17 consecutive rounds of 70 or higher before an opening 65 at Colonial that he backed up with a round of four birdies and one bogey.

“It was kind of a grind. … I had to get up-and-down a few more times today and guess out of the rough what the ball was going to do into the green,” Simpson said. “But it felt great. Just almost more satisfying today than yesterday because I managed my game.”

The trio of Canadians in the field had yet to play their second rounds when play was halted. Brantford, Ont., native David Hearn’s first-round 67 has him tied for 12th. Abbotsford, B.C., products Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor sit T17 and T30, respectively.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Ariya Jutanugarn tore her scorecard into pieces after walking off the 18th green at Travis Pointe, proving the competition isn’t the only thing she is tearing up.

Jutanugarn moved a step closer to winning a third straight LPGA Tour title by shooting a 4-under 68 on Friday to take a two-shot lead in the Volvik Championship.

She had four back-nine birdies, including No. 18 when her approach went off a hospitality suite and landed in a greenside bunker 20 yards from the hole.

“Hit cut 3-wood and it didn’t cut,” she said.

As Jutanugarn dug her heels into the sand, it sounded as if a spectator dropped something in an elevated viewing area just behind her. She stepped away from the ball, then addressed it again. Clearly unfazed, she blasted out of the bunker well enough to set up a 1-foot putt that pushed her to 11-under 133.

The 20-year-old Jutanugarn is coming off a win at the Kingsmill Championship in Virginia after becoming the first Thai winner in tour history at the previous tournament in Alabama. She insisted a third straight title isn’t on her mind.

“I’m not thinking about I’m going to win, I’m going to lose,” she said. “But just have fun.”

Second-ranked Inbee Park, who withdrew Thursday with a thumb injury, was the last LPGA Tour player to win three straight tournaments in 2013.

So Yeon Ryu (67), Marina Alex (67) and first-round leader Christina Kim (71) were tied for second.

Jessica Korda (65), Giulia Molinaro (67) and Brittany Lincicome (67) were 7 under.

Top-ranked Lydia Ko was 2 under after her second straight 71.

Unlike some of the other top players, Jutanugarn doesn’t have a driver in her bag this week.

The powerful player simply doesn’t need it, outdriving people in her group with 270-yard shots with a 2-iron or 3-wood. Her touch around and on the greens are appear to be superior.

Usually, she keeps an eye on the leaderboard. On Friday, though, she didn’t.

“I forgot,” she said.

If Jutanugarn puts up another low score after her 65-68 start, the remaining field may be relegated to vying for second place.

Kim opened with a 64 for a one-shot lead over Jutanugarn.

Alex pulled into a first-place tie in the morning with her fourth birdie on the front nine, playing a steady game that included hitting the fairways and greens and making the most of opportunities on makeable putts such as the 4-footer on No. 9.

The 163rd-ranked player in the world missed the cut in her first four tournaments this year and hasn’t finished better than ninth in her career.

“There’s really no expectations for the weekend,” she said.

Michelle Wie wasn’t close to the 2-over cut, going 8 over with two 76s. She has missed two straight cuts and three of four and six this year.

Ryu, meanwhile, is one of the many South Koreans having a great year. She tied for 10th at her last two tournaments, was fifth at an event a month ago and has four top-10s in her last six starts.

“I was so close to winning the last three tournaments, the final round wasn’t good enough to get the trophies so I was really disappointed in myself,” she said. “But the good thing is, I just kept in contention, just kept fighting. I really want to hold this and I really want to keep my positive mind until Sunday.”

A 5-under 67 performance saw Smiths Falls, Ont., native Brooke Henderson climb into a tie for tenth place. Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C., is T37 at 1-under, while Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City sits T58. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp will not advance to the weekend. Sherbrooke, Que., product Maude-Aimée LeBlanc was forced to withdraw.

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. – Rocco Mediate stretched his Senior PGA Championship lead to four strokes Friday at Harbor Shores, birdieing the final two holes for a 5-under 66.

“I haven’t been here in a long time,” Mediate said. “I’m looking forward to trying to drive it in the first fairway and see what happens from there. That’s all you can really do. … They’re going to be coming and it’s going to be fun. It’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s nervy. It’s cool.”

Mediate had a 14-under 128 total, four strokes better than the previous tournament record set by Sam Snead in 1973 and matched by Arnold Palmer in 1984 and Jack Nicklaus in 1991. The 53-year-old Mediate opened with a 62 on Thursday to tie the tournament and course records set by Kenny Perry in the 2012 final round on the Nicklaus-designed layout.

“I love it. This place, it’s just evil. In a good way,” said Mediate, bogey-free through 36 holes. “It’s just a great place. It really shows you the control you have. That’s why Jack built these greens, I’m sure he said, ‘Well, let’s see how good these guys are?'”

On Friday, Mediate started play on the 10th tee and birdied the par-4 16th and 18th. He added birdies on the par-5 fifth, par-4 eighth and par-5 ninth, leaving an eagle putt an inch short on the last.

“I had some moments out there where it went a little south, but I covered up with the short game today,” Mediate said. “I made some ridiculously good putts to save, and I made a bunch of birdies again. I hit a bunch of good shots. Hit a few loose ones and I covered it up.”

Mediate has one-putted 22 of his 36 holes, finishing with 22 putts Thursday and 26 on Friday. He won both of his PGA Tour Champions victories in 2013 after winning six times on the PGA Tour.

Gene Sauers was second, closing with a bogey for a 69. The three-time PGA Tour winner has successfully fought a rare skin condition, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, to play the 50-and-over tour.

“This is a blast,” Sauers said. “Coming back from where I’ve been, when I got sick back in 2011, and didn’t ever think I would play golf again and then coming back and playing with some of the best guys in the world. It’s a pleasure to be here and I’m humbled to be able to play with all these guys again.

Bernhard Langer birdied three of his last four holes in a 64 to reach 9 under in his bid to become the first player to win all five PGA Tour Champions majors.

“I made more putts today and I hit my irons a little closer,” Langer said. “It’s a little easier to make a 10-foot putt than a 20-foot putt. I played pretty well yesterday, just didn’t get much going. I was a little bit flat. But today I got off to a nice start and continued to play really good golf.”

The 58-year-old German won the Regions Tradition last week in Alabama for his sixth senior major title and 100th worldwide victory. In Alabama, Langer joined Nicklaus as the only players to win four different senior majors. Nicklaus had largely retired when the Senior British Open was added to the major rotation. He only played that once in its first year as a major in 2003.

Mediate played alongside two-time defending champion Colin Montgomerie and Perry. Montgomerie had a 66 to join Langer in the third-place tie at 9 under. The Scot won in 2014 at Harbor Shores and last year at French Lick Resort in Indiana.

Perry had a 71 to drop eight strokes back at 6 under. He had the first double eagle in the history of the event, holing out with a 5-iron from 227 yards on the par-5 fifth hole. He eagled the hole Thursday.

“Straight down wind,” Perry said. “Hit the prettiest 5-iron, landed on the front of the green, and it just broke right in there like a putt. That’s the first one I ever made. So it was pretty neat to make your first albatross at the Senior PGA.”

Club pro John DalCorobbo also was 9 under after a 68. DalCorobbo is a PGA assistant professional at Brickyard Crossing in Indiana. He won the Senior PGA Professional Championship in October.

“It’s pretty special,” DalCorobbo said. “I just kept trying to stay with each shot, treating it like it was. It seems so cliche, but all I tried to do was just treat everything and just have really good acceptance for what happened.”

Fellow club pro J.R. Roth (67) was 8 under along with Tom Lehman (65), Kirk Triplett (69), Brandt Jobe (67), Canadian Rod Spittle (65) of St. Catharines, Ont., and Scott McCarron (65). Roth is the PGA director of golf at San Juan Country Club in Farmington, New Mexico.

John Daly missed the cut with rounds of 75 and 74. He had a 9 on the par-4 16th on Thursday.

Calgary’s Stephen Ames is T38 following a 2-under 69 performance.

Florida’s Tyler McCumber and New York’s Dan McCarthy reached 10-under par through 36 holes at Point Grey Golf and Country Club on Friday to share the second round lead at the Freedom 55 Financial Open, the opening event of the 2016 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

McCumber, a two-time winner on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica in 2014, birdied the 18th hole for one of his six birdies in a round of 68 on Friday to match the lead set earlier by McCarthy, who was bogey-free with six birdies on the day.

“It was nice to get a shot back coming down the stretch. There were so many good shots today, but those are the ones to focus on for me,” said McCumber, a University of Florida graduate and the son of 10-time PGA TOUR winner Mark McCumber.

McCarthy, a veteran of 39 Mackenzie Tour starts, credited a more conservative approach to Point Grey’s tree-line layout than his last two starts in Vancouver, both of which resulted in missed cuts.

“I hit a ton of greens, so I wasn’t grinding out pars out there,” said McCarthy. “The pins are challenging, so you kind of have to make decisions to not go after them and play towards the fat part of the green, and that’s something I’ve learned over the years.”

One shot behind McCarthy and McCumber was Florida’s Taylor Hancock, a recent University of North Florida grad making his pro debut this week.

“Surprisingly, I was just really calm. I don’t know why. It was just fun to be able to say I’m a professional,” said Hancock. “A couple of holes down the stretch, I started to feel it a little bit, but you live for that and that’s what you enjoy.”

Devin Carrey of Burnaby, B.C., and Manitoba’s Aaron Cockerill lead the Canadian contingent at T10.

National Team member Eric Banks of Truro, N.S., is tied for 32nd at 2-under. Team Canada Development Squad members Tony Gil (Vaughan, Ont.) and A.J. Ewart (Coquitlam, B.C.), who finished 2-over and 8-over, respectively, will not head into weekend play.

MIDLAND, Ont. – The nation’s junior golfers were treated to a healthy dose of sun during the first round of the 2016 CN Future Links Ontario Championship at Midland Golf & Country Club. Team Canada Development Squad member Grace St-Germain took the lead in the Junior Girls division after shooting 2-under 68. Louis-Alexandre Colgan, Jake Bryson, and Thomas Giroux carded even-par rounds to share the Junior Boys lead.

St-Germain, a native of Orleans, Ont., shot four birdies on the day, including two back-to-back on holes 11 and 12 en route to the day’s only score below-par.

“It was a very good round, I was hitting the ball really well today,” said the 17-year-old. “The greens were really fast, so I’m just going to take it one shot at a time tomorrow.”

Isabella Portokalis of London, Ont., notched a birdie on No. 18 to move into second at 1-over-par, while fellow Ontarian Monet Chun of Richmond Hill and Mary Parsons of Delta B.C., are T3 after matching 72s. Parsons, the 2016 CN Future Links Pacific champion, collected three birdies across a bogey-free back nine.

St-Germain’s quartet of Women’s Development Squad teammates are all within the Top-15, led by Surrey, B.C., product Hannah Lee who sits fifth at 3-over-par. Vancouver’s Tiffany Kong and Chloe Currie of Mississauga, Ont., each tallied three birdies on the back nine to reach T6. Kathrine Chan, of Richmond, B.C., is T14 after opening with a 77.

In the Junior Boys division, three players hold a share of first at even-par. Québec City’s Louis-Alexandre Colgan and Jake Bryson of Dunrobin, Ont., each made five birdies on the day. Georgetown, Ont., native Thomas Giroux completes the trio of leaders, having tallied four birdies – including three across holes 6 through 9 – for a 1-under 33 on the front nine.

Three Ontarians are one shot behind the leaders. Johnny Travale (Stoney Creek), Sam Meek (Peterborough) and Eric (Joohyung) Byun (Richmond Hill) sit T4 on the crowded leaderboard. Aurora, Ont., product Thomas ‘Jack’ Simpson – the lone Men’s Development Squad member in the field – holed two birdies and is T14.

The top six finalists in the Junior Boys division will earn exemptions into the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship at Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s, N.L., from August 1-4. Exemptions will be decided via a hole-by-hole playoff in the case of ties. All competitors in the Top-6, including ties, in the Junior Girls division will gain exemptions into the Canadian Junior Girls Championship. The tournament will be held August 2-5 at The Links at Penn Hills in Shubenacadie, N.S.

The second day of competition will see the Junior Girls division tee-off at 7 a.m. before the Junior Boys take to the course at 8:50 a.m. Additional information, including pairings and up-to-date scoring is available here.

BEAUCEVILLE, Que. – Club de golf Beauceville, founded in 1990 in Beauceville, Que., will host a field of 121 junior athletes from June 3-5 for the 2016 CN Future Links Quebec Championship. A total of six CN Future Links Championships are presented by Golf Canada in partnership with CN. These championships provide opportunities for junior golfers across Canada to develop their games in a safe and encouraging environment.

“Golf Canada is thrilled to work with Club de golf Beauceville for our third CN Future Links Championship this season,” said Justine Decock, Tournament Director. “The course will be a great test for a strong field. We look forward to seeing these athletes learn and grow through this competition.”

Charles-Éric Bélanger will represent the National Team Men’s Development Squad at the competition. The native of Quebec City collected second- and third-place finishes at last year’s Quebec and Ontario editions of the CN Future Links Championships. The 2015 CN Future Links Junior Boys Order of Merit winner is coming off a season in which he claimed the Canadian Junior Boys title.

Club de golf Beauceville member Louis-Michel Guay will make his debut on the CN Future Links circuit. The 18-year old from St-Isidore, Que., who was fifth on the Quebec Garçons Juniors Order of Merit in 2015, will try to translate his familiarity with the course into championship success.

The Junior Girls field will see the return of four of the top five finishers from the 2015 championship held at Golf Château-Bromont in Bromont, Que. Reigning Quebec Junior Match-Play Champion Sarah-Ève Rhéaume looks to improve upon last year’s runner-up result. Notre-Dame-de-L’Île-Perrot, Que., native Céleste Dao – the 2015 Quebec Junior Girls Champion – and Noémie Paré of Victoriaville, Que., will attempt to best their T3 finishes, while Rosemère, Que., product Brigitte Thibault seeks to build upon a 5^th-place showing.

Three more CN Future Links Championships will be played this season:

• June 10-12 – CN Future Links Prairie – Neepawa, Man. – Neepawa Golf & Country Club
• July 4-6 – CN Future Links Western – Medicine Hat, Alta. – Medicine Hat Golf & Country Club
• July 12-14 – CN Future Links Atlantic – Fairview, P.E.I. – Countryview Golf Club

The top six in the Junior Boys division will gain exemptions into the 2016 Canadian Junior Boys Championship, held August 1-4 at Clovelly Golf Club in St. John’s, N.L. A hole-by-hole playoff will determine exemptions in the case of ties. Those who make up the top six in the Junior Girls division, including ties, 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 on the 2016 CN Future Links Quebec Championship, including a full list of competitors and tee-times, is available here.

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. – Rocco Mediate played the first 13 holes in 9 under and closed with five pars for a 62 to match the Senior PGA Championship and Harbor Shore records Thursday.

Taking advantage of greens softened by overnight rain, Mediate matched the marks set by Kenny Perry in the 2012 final round.

“It wasn’t wet, as far as soaking wet. A couple wet spots. But it was fine,” Mediate said. “Greens were good. Soft. They received pretty good. … I know it rained like heck last night. I heard it last night. But the golf course was fine. Greens were good. Everything was good. A little softer.”

The 53-year-old Mediate capped a front-nine 29 with an eagle on the par-5 ninth and added birdies on the par-3 11th and 13th holes at Jack Nicklaus-designed Harbor Shores.

“Solid stuff,” Mediate said. “A lot of fairways. A bunch of greens. When I missed it was in the right spot. … I hit it close, so I had a lot of short putts for birdie. I didn’t really make a long one. It was one of those days. I just drove it really well. I hit a lot of solid irons.”

Mediate has two victories on the 50-and-over tour after winning six times on the PGA Tour.

“Stuff I’m working on is coming around,” Mediate said. “I’m just trying to get back to what I used to do and that’s hit the ball in the middle of the face most of the time. It’s been a few years since that’s happened. So it was a lot of fun. A lot of fun.”

Gene Sauers had a bogey-free 63.

“I like being up are early in the morning. It was nice,” Sauers said. “You get fresh greens and I hit the ball really solid. Just tried to concentrate on just where I wanted to place the ball and just not have too many long putts, because you can get some really pressure putts out here.”

Mike Goodes shot 64, and Kenny Perry, Kirk Triplett and club pro John DalCorobbo were another stroke back. Perry played alongside Mediate and two-time defending champion Colin Montgomerie, who had two late bogeys in a 67.

“We were all feeding off each another,” Perry said. “Rocco shot 29 on the front nine and drug us all along in there. He hit it close and made a lot of putts. It kind of set the tone for the whole group.

“The whole group played nice until the last couple holes, I don’t know if we got tired or what, but they’re hard holes, 16, 17 and 18 are tough holes. I bogeyed 17 and I think Colin bogeyed 16 and 17. But Rocco parred them all. So he had an amazing round.”

Bernhard Langer, fresh off the 100th victory of his career – at a major, no less, at the Regions Tradition in Alabama, opened with a 69.

The 58-year-old German is going for an unprecedented sweep of all five PGA Tour Champions majors. In Alabama, he won his sixth major championship as a senior and joined Nicklaus as the only players to win four different senior majors. Nicklaus had largely retired when the Senior British Open was added to the major rotation. He only played that once in its first year as a major in 2003.

John Daly struggled to a 75 in his first senior major start. He had a 9 on the par-4 16th, a double bogey, three bogeys and six bogeys. Daly tied for 15th and 17th in his first two senior starts since turning 50.

Montgomerie played the first 10 holes in 6 under, with four straight birdies on Nos. 7-10. The Scot won in 2014 at Harbor Shores and last year at French Lick Resort in Indiana.

DalCorobbo holed out with a 9-iron from the fairway for an eagle on the par-5 18th. A PGA assistant professional at Brickyard Crossing in Indiana, he won the Senior PGA Professional Championship in October.

“For not playing in a competitive event for quite some time, I think that the focus, really, the plan was, to not so much to score, but can I handle my mental routine and stay within that. So for the most part I think I did a good job. I hit a tremendous shot on 18 and a lot of that is luck, but I hit some good shots during the day and really happy about that.”

St. Catharines, Ont., resident, Rod Spittle shot 2-under to sit T30, while Stephen Ames of Calgary is T68 after carding a 71.

It was a golf tournament much like any other.

At the same time, it was a golf tournament unlike just about any other.

There was the usual assortment of right-handed and left-handed golfers.

And there was a one-handed golfer.

Like most tournaments, there was applause from the other players, their caddies and the gallery when someone hit a good tee shot.

Not so typically, there was the same sincere, supportive applause when someone hit a not-so-good one.

Like I said, not your average golf tournament.

On Wednesday, I was privileged to act as the starter for two dozen Special Olympics athletes who competed at my home course, Midland Golf and Country Club in central Ontario.

No. “Competed” does neither the event nor the participants justice.

Watching them try their best, relishing the opportunity,  just immersing themselves in the experience, put a lot of things in perspective for those fortunate enough to interact with them that day.

“They experience the same frustrations as any golfer but it seems to me they recover from them more quickly and just enjoy the overall experience,” says Serge Boulianne, Sport Manager for Special Olympics Canada.

Lorinne Russell (2nd from the left) / (SpecialOCanada)

Boulianne, who organized Wednesday’s event, said the partnership between Special Olympics Canada and Golf Canada is “huge” from a number of perspectives. Half a dozen years ago, he says, there were between 300 and 400 Special Olympic athletes across Canada who golfed. Now there are almost 1,700. To support them, the PGA of Canada has developed a dedicated course for coaching Special Olympics athletes.

“Integration is a big part of Special Olympics and there is no better place than a golf course to accomplish that. Golf also has brought us many athletes who might not have been part of our movement before but have been golfing with their parents since they were young. “

Mike Trojan can relate to that. Along with his wife and another couple in St. Catharines, Ont., they conduct a Special Olympics golf program at Chippawa, the executive-length course at Legends on the Niagara. Thanks to their dedication and the support of the Niagara Parks Commission, 22 athletes get to enjoy this experience.

Trojan’s daughter, Tess, is a Special Olympics golf success story.  “We always golfed as a family and that’s how she got the bug.”

Strong play at the provincial and national levels earned Tess a spot on Team Canada which participated in the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Los Angeles.

“Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada really stepped up,” says Trojan. An instructor was assigned to each of the five Team Canada members for the six months leading up to the event in Los Angeles, with impressive results. Among other Canadian medallists, Tess came home with a gold.

“Golf is wonderful,” says Trojan, “because it not only gives them confidence to participate in a sport but confidence in other things—jobs, being productive members of their community, and so on.”

Ian Kirkpatrick, General Manager of Midland G&CC, was beaming Wednesday as he watched the athletes and their coaches participate in skills clinics conducted by two PGA of Canada professionals: Midland head pro Brian Urbach and Jason Bennett, head pro at nearby Oak Bay G&CC.

Kyle Koopman (SpecialOCanada)

“Golf has to change in its approach to many things in the future,” Kirkpatrick said. “We, as a sport, have to be more inclusive, more community-oriented. We have to provide opportunities for anyone who wants to participate.”

The partnership between Golf Canada and Special Olympics Canada is a giant step forward in accomplishing that challenging goal.

While Wednesday’s results show that Lorinne Russell of Milton, Ont., and Kyle Koopman of Hamilton had the lowest scores, it must be said that anyone who met these very special athletes also came out a winner.

“It just feels good to be around them,” says Bouilanne.

From my experience on Wednesday, I couldn’t agree more.