London, Ont. – Golf Canada in association with title sponsor Freedom 55 Financial and the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada announced today that the Thames Valley Children’s Centre (TVCC) will return as the official charitable beneficiary of the Freedom 55 Financial Championship, which will run September 12-18, 2016 at Highland Country Club in London, Ont.

As the 2015 beneficiary for the season-ending event on Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada, more than $44,000 was raised in support of Thames Valley through various fundraising activities during the Freedom 55 Financial Championship.

Thames Valley Children’s Centre (TVCC) works to support children and their families to achieve the highest possible quality of life. TVCC serves more than 8000 children, youth and their families every year through a wide range of services provided out of the main London Centre and 15 regional office locations across Southwestern Ontario. Clients range in age from birth to 19 with services supporting a range of special needs including physical disabilities, communication disorders, developmental delays and autism spectrum disorders.

“We‘re pleased Golf Canada has once again selected Thames Valley Children’s Centre to receive the tournament’s charitable proceeds,” said Mike Cunneen, Senior Vice-President, Freedom 55 Financial. “Through the We’re All Stars event and the annual London Life Forest City Road Races, our company proudly supports Thames Valley in helping children and families from London and across Southwestern Ontario achieve a better quality of life. I welcome the Children’s Centre and its supporters to Highland and thank everyone ready to step up to make this event a success.”

“We are so appreciative to be selected as the charitable partner of the Freedom 55 Financial Championship for the second year,” commented Dr. John LaPorta, CEO, TVCC. Golf Canada organized a first class tournament in London last fall and we are looking forward to another great event! Thank you on behalf of the more than 8,000 clients our organization serves throughout Southwestern Ontario.

The 12^th and final event on the Mackenzie Tour schedule will see the culmination of the race for Web.com Tour status at Highland Country Club. Only the top 60 players on the Order of Merit will be eligible, setting up an exciting race to the season’s final event.

The Mackenzie Tour helps players make the next step on the path to the PGA TOUR by rewarding season-long performance with access to the Web.com Tour, including fully exempt status to the Order of Merit winner for the following Web.com Tour season.

In addition to serving as title sponsor of the Freedom 55 Financial Championship and the Freedom 55 Financial Open in Vancouver, Freedom 55 Financial also sponsors the Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week award presenting $2,500 to the top Canadian player at each Mackenzie Tour event as well as the season ending Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Year Award, which comes with a $25,000 prize.

Last year, American Jason Millard edged out 2014 champion Ryan Williams of Surrey, B.C. to claim the Freedom 55 Financial Championship at Highland Country Club and earn one of the five coveted spots advancing to the Web.com Tour.

Volunteer and ticket information is available at www.freedom55financialchampionship.com. As well, children aged 17 and under get in free all week long at the Freedom 55 Financial Championship – download your free junior tickets here.

OTTAWA – The Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club board of directors has given honorary full memberships for Smiths Falls golfing sensations, sisters Brittany Henderson and Brooke Henderson.

Eighteen-year-old Brooke is a full-time member of the LPGA Tour and currently ranks 7th in women`s world golf. Brittany, her accomplished older sister, has full-time status on the Symetra Ladies Tour and plays several LPGA events annually. She is also currently acting as Brooke’s caddie on tour.

Recently, Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club President Allan Bulloch caught up with Brooke and Brittany to personally welcome them to The Hunt.

Brooke and Brittany are excited to play the Hunt Club course and use the Club`s world class practice facility in preparation for the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, scheduled at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club for August 2017.

“I am so grateful to the Hunt Club Board of Directors for welcoming us as members,” said Brooke Henderson. “I look forward to showcasing the impressive golf course and facilities to everyone on Tour at next year’s Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.”

The Henderson sisters will continue to be great golf ambassadors for years to come as the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club intends to partner with both Brooke and Brittany to further develop junior golf in Ottawa.

When in town, we expect to see both of them around the club working on their game.

Kitchener, Ontario’s Chris Hemmerich and St. Petersburg, Florida’s MJ Maguire shot a pair of 6-under 66s at PGA Golf Club’s Wanamaker Course before play was suspended for the day due to dangerous weather in the area.

75 players were left to complete their first rounds when play was suspended at 2:20 p.m., with scattered thunderstorms making their way through the Port St. Lucie area. Play will resume on Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. ET.

Hemmerich, a 2015 Mackenzie Tour member looking to regain status after finishing 80th on last year’s Order of Merit, carded six birdies and no bogeys to sit in a tie at the top with Maguire, who is looking for Mackenzie Tour status for the first time.

“Last year I learned a quick lesson finishing 80th on the money list that you have to hit more fairways,” said Hemmerich, who has spent his winter in nearby West Palm Beach. “I dialed it back off the tee and I’m hitting it a lot straighter.”

Maguire shot a 6-under 30 on the front nine (his second nine) to match Hemmerich, crediting his spectacular score to a more aggressive mindset on his approach shots.

“I thought starting out I could just hit fairways and greens and be fine, and I left myself some difficult putts,” said Maguire. “I just started to play more aggressive from there and was able to make a few nice putts.”

Spring is a time of renewal, revival, rebirth. So, in the spirit of the season, here are some golfing suggestions along those lines.

As a theme, let’s call this “In Praise Of …”

Match Play: With the notable exception of North America, match play is the preferred format over stroke play. Rather than try to finish 18 holes with a lower cumulative score than your fellow competitor, you compete on a per-hole basis. If you have the lower score on a hole, you win that hole and move on to the next. If you are out of the hole, you concede it to your opponent and you move to the next tee.  Whoever wins the most holes, wins the match – which might not take a full 18 holes. The rest of the world thinks match play is more equitable, more enjoyable and faster. Why don’t we?

Nine-hole Rounds: It’s a fad these days to suggest six-hole and 12-hole courses. What happened to the traditional nine-hole round? Do you realize nine-holers comprise about 40 per cent of Canada’s courses? And many 18-hole layouts are two nine-hole loops that each return to the clubhouse. Hit a few balls on the range, take a couple of practice putts, play nine, and you’re heading home in less than three hours. Half the time, about half the price, and much more than half the fun of 18 holes!

Half Sets of Clubs: Just like the nine-hole round, a half set of golf clubs is a concept worth praising, not just for beginners, but for every recreational golfer. And not just for the obvious financial savings. Grab a 3- and 5-wood, a 4-hybrid, a 6- and 8-iron, a sand wedge and a putter, a light stand bag and you’re good to go. Using a half set makes you a more creative shotmaker because not every club is dialed in for a specific yardage, as they are in a full set.  Give it a try and see how much of a difference, if any, there is in your score than when you play with 14 clubs. You’ll be surprised.

Walking: Carrying a half set of clubs for nine holes is one of golf’s great pleasures. Go for 18 if you’re up to it and you will have walked the equivalent of eight kilometres and burned 2,000 calories. If carrying isn’t an option because of physical condition, age or other factors, consider a push cart or an electric caddie. Once again, North Americans lag far behind the rest of the golfing world in the use of these admirable contraptions. If we’re not walking, we tend to jump into a power cart, thus missing most of the health and aesthetic benefits of the game, not to mention the added expense. As a start this spring, how about walking the front nine and riding on the back nine?

Playing YOUR Course: The testosterone-based fixation on building courses in excess of 7,000 yards had much to do with elevating the cost of golf. Every golfer who played those courses had to pay for the design, construction and maintenance of the additional 500 to 1,000 yards that only a tiny fraction of golfers actually had the ability to play. Have a look at the Tee It Forward concept. Swallow your ego and admit how far you actually hit your driver and that will indicate what length of course you should be playing for optimum enjoyment. For example, if your driver distance is 175 yards, you will have the most fun and score your best on a 4,500-yard course. If your average drive is 225, step back to 5,900; 250 with the driver equates to a 6,300-yard course, and so on.

Family Golf: In an age when the family dynamic is stressed and stretched, what better way to strengthen it than to play golf? More and more courses are encouraging family involvement through junior and adult beginner programs, couples’ leagues, family events, and other initiatives. If your course doesn’t offer these programs, look for a more progressive one to call home.

This year, fellow golfers, let’s spring forward and not fall back. Get out of your rut.

Start this season by carrying a half set for nine holes, playing a match with at least one family member. You’ll be well on your way to making golf more enjoyable, quicker, and affordable.

See, we’ve just solved most of golf’s challenges.

Next: World peace.

Tiger Woods is going back to the PGA Tour event at Riviera for the first time since 2006.

The Tiger Woods Foundation will become the host organization that runs the tournament, which has Hyundai Motor America as the new title sponsor. The PGA Tour said Tuesday that Woods will be the tournament host and become actively involved in the tournament.

Riviera is where Woods, who grew up about 45 minutes away, made his PGA Tour debut as a 16-year-old amateur. He missed the cut with rounds of 72-75.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for my foundation,” Woods said in a statement. “This is the first PGA Tour event I ever played, and it means a lot to contribute to a community that has supported me and my foundation for more than 20 years. I’m committed to playing in my foundation’s events, and it will be exciting to return to Riviera.”

Still to be determined is the name of the tournament.

Hyundai previously was the title sponsor at the winners-only event at Kapalua that starts the year (Hyundai Tournament of Champions). It takes over in Los Angeles after Northern Trust moved its title sponsorship to the New York area for the opening FedEx Cup playoff event.

“Recognizing Tiger’s ongoing connection to his home state through his foundation, we saw an opportunity to correspond the transition of the tournament operation with the new long-term sponsorship by Hyundai,” PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said.

Hyundai Motor America has headquarters in southern California.

The question is when Woods will play. Because of two back surgeries late last year, he has not competed since August and has not indicated when he will return. Riviera has become the anchor of the West Coast Swing toward the end of February.

Woods has never missed one of his foundation events except for injury. Along with playing, he donates all his earnings to the foundation.

He last played what was then the Nissan Open at Riviera in 2006 when he narrowly made the cut and withdrew the next day with the flu.

Taking over at Riviera means the Tiger Woods Foundation still has three PGA Tour events it runs – the Quicken Loans National in the Washington, D.C., area, and the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.

It previously had the Deutsche Bank Championship outside Boston. The tour said its management would take over Boston in 2017, and that the foundation will keep its charitable commitment to the New England area through the Earl Woods Scholarship Program. There are 15 scholars from the New England region, with five more scheduled for the next school year.

A trio of Canadian girls are set to head south for the 2016 Drive, Chip & Putt Championship at Augusta National on April 3—the Sunday prior to the Masters tournament week.

Canadians Vanessa Borovilos, Jayla Kucy and Elaine Giantsopolous will be among the 80 qualifiers (40 male, 40 female) vying to be crowned champions of their respective age divisions at the third annual national championship.

Toronto’s Borovilos will compete in the 7­–9 age group for a second consecutive year—she finished fourth in 2015, just four points off the lead. The aspiring LPGA golfer and Trafalgar Golf & Country Club member punched her ticket to Augusta by winning the regional qualifier held at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa.

Vanessa Borovilos (Dave Reginek/ Getty Images) and Jayla Kucy (Steve Dykes/ Getty Images)

Camrose, Alta., native Jayla Kucy will also make her return to Augusta National in the 2016 event. The year prior, Kucy (9-years-old at the time) posted a final score of 13 to finish T8 in the 7­–9 group. With another year of experience under her belt, Jayla will take the all-expenses-paid trip once more to golf’s hallowed ground. Kucy and Borovilos are among four competitors set to return for a second straight year.

Competing in the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship for the first time is Elaine Giantsopolous of Richmond Hill, Ont. Giantsopolous earned her spot in the final with a one-point victory at her regional qualifier—also held at Oakmont. Playing out of York Downs Golf & Country Club, Giantsopolous will compete in the 12–13 division.

The journey to the final event is no easy task. Amongst tens of thousands of entrants in 250 qualifying events, all three girls secured top-three spots at their local qualifiers, top-two finishes at their sub-regionals, followed by wins at their regional events. Results of all qualifying events can be found here.

A joint initiative by the United States Golf Association (USGA), the Masters and the PGA of America, the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship is a free nationwide youth golf development program open to girls and boys aged 7-15 – competing in separate divisions in four age categories – focusing on the three fundamental skills employed in golf and tapping the creativity and enthusiasm of young golfers.

Coverage of the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship will be broadcast live on the Golf Channel on April 3.

The Canadian equivalent, the CN Future Links Junior Skills Challenge National Event, will be contested on July 16 at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., the Sunday prior to the 2016 RBC Canadian Open.

AUSTIN, Texas – The fortunes of Jason Day turned as quickly as the biggest match he faced in winning the Dell Match Play.

Just two weeks ago, he arrived at the Arnold Palmer Invitational without having won in six months and showing few signs that he was ready to crank up that fearsome combination of long ball and short game.

Day now heads to the Masters as the man to beat.

Coming off a one-shot victory at Bay Hill, the 28-year-old Australian overcame a back injury that nearly caused him to withdraw, went far enough in the Match Play to return to No. 1 in the world, outlasted Rory McIlroy in the semifinals and then capped off a remarkable week in Texas by going home with the trophy.

He will head to Augusta National later this week to start preparing. The Masters starts April 7.

“I am looking forward to it,” Day said. “I know it’s one tournament that I’ve always want to win. So the motivation and the want … there’s no problem. It’s been good momentum for me, confidence-wise, over the last two weeks. I can’t get comfortable with how I’m playing right now. I can’t get lazy, because I’ve got to understand that what I’m doing is working. So I’ve got to keep working on the things that have caused me to win over the last two weeks.”

The last time anyone won back-to-back on the PGA Tour was only three weeks ago when Adam Scott won at PGA National and Doral. What makes Day stand out as a favorite is that the Match Play was his sixth victory in his last 13 starts dating to his record win at the PGA Championship last August.

Jordan Spieth’s loss in the fourth round was the first part in Day getting back to No. 1.

Day winning in the quarterfinals was the second part.

As for that big match?

The record book will show that Day defeated Louis Oosthuizen, 5 and 4, to win the tournament. That was never really in doubt. Day took the lead for good on the fourth hole and extended it because he was making putts at Austin Country Club and Oosthuizen was not.

“A top player these days, he always makes that crucial putt when he needs to,” Oosthuizen said. “We’ve seen a thousand times through Tiger doing it. Jordan does it all the time. And Jason, whenever he needs to make a crucial putt, he makes it. You see him this morning against Rory when he made that putt on 18. He’s always been a great iron player. He’s always been a great long iron player.

“And the way he’s putting now, there’s a reason why he’s No. 1 in the world.”

The key moment for Day even getting to the championship match was against McIlroy on the back nine.

McIlroy was on the verge of going 1 up when he hit a magnificent shot into the wind, over the water to the left corner of the green, leaving him 6 feet for birdie. Day missed the green left and faced a downhill chip so severe that he went with a full shot to reduce the roll. It worked OK, but not great, and he still had 12 feet left for par.

Day made. McIlroy miss.

Then, both were in range on the par-5 12th when McIlroy protected against the water and played his shot out to the right. Day was going to do the same thing with a 4-iron when he felt a gust in his face, and switched to a 2-iron. He took a line right over the water, cleared it by a foot and set up a two-putt birdie that gave him the lead for good.

That’s how quickly control in that match changed.

“Once the wind started gusting up, I said, ‘I’m going to change and for the 2-iron and go for the green,'” Day said. “In my head, I was saying that. I pulled it a little bit … and it worked out fantastic.”

McIlroy hit a poor chip behind the 13th green and fell 2 down, and he never could catch up.

“I think the morning’s round was probably one of the hardest rounds I’ve had to go through in match-play format,” Day said.

The back injury was all but forgotten when Day motored his way to an easy victory over Oosthuizen. It was the largest margin in the championship match since it went to 18 holes in 2011. Tiger Woods beat Stewart Cink, 8 and 7, when it was a 36-hole final.

Day’s short game was most impressive. He was just off the green eight times against McIlroy and got up-and-down each time. He did it four more times against Oosthuizen. And yes, he can still hit it a long way. That should work out for him at Augusta National.

“It will be fun to walk through the gates as the No. 1 in the world,” he said.

CARLSBAD, Calif. – Lydia Ko won the Kia Classic on Sunday at Aviara, reaffirming her position as the top player in the world heading into the first major championship of the season.

Ko birdied the final three holes for her third straight 5-under 67 and a four-stroke victory over second-ranked Inbee Park.

“I just kind of peeked at the leaderboard and saw Inbee was making a lot of birdies – Inbee doing her Inbee things,” Ko said. “I knew that I needed to focus up until the last moment and fortunately I made some birdies down the stretch.”

A week after finishing second in Phoenix in the Founders Cup, Ko headed to Rancho Mirage for the ANA Inspiration with her first LPGA Tour victory of the year and 11th overall. The 18-year-old New Zealander also won the Ladies European Tour’s New Zealand Women’s Open in February.

“All the work we’ve put in as a team kind of paid off,” Ko said. “A really happy moment, but I have to focus for next week. I’m really excited to go back to ANA.”

Ko finished at 19-under 269.

Park closed with a 67. The 2013 winner at Rancho Mirage, the South Korean player appears to be over the back problem that forced her to withdraw from the first event of the season.

“We have a really important tournament coming up next week, so I really needed to push myself a little faster to get ready,” Park said. “This is a great finish for me and it’s going to be a good confidence week for me.”

She tied for 30th in Thailand and Singapore in her first events back and missed the cut in Phoenix.

“I have been struggling with ball-striking to putting and everything until probably last week,” Park said. “This week, everything started clicking together. Started to hit the ball a lot straighter and started to get a lot of confidence and, obviously, dropping a few putts gave me a lot of confidence.”

Playing two groups ahead of Ko, Park pulled within two shots with birdies on the par-4 16th and par-5 17th. Ko pushed the lead back to two with a birdie on the short par-4 16th, holing a 10-foot putt after driving the green and racing her first putt past the hole.

Ko made an 8-foot birdie putt on 17, and finished with a 15-footer on 18.

She bogeyed the par-5 10th after double-hitting a putt from the fringe. The ball popped out of a divot and caught her club in the follow-through, costing her a one-stroke penalty.

Japan’s Ai Miyazato was third at 12 under after a 66. The nine-time LPGA Tour winner had her first top-10 finish since 2013.

“I’ve been struggling with my putting since a couple years ago,” Miyazato said. “That’s why my game wasn’t really there. But I had really good patience and I know I can get through it. Right now, I’m in the process, but just the difference is it’s just I’m having fun more with my game.”

South Koreans Sung Hyun Park and Jenny Shin each shot 72 to tie for fourth at 11 under. Sung Hyun Park received a sponsor exemption.

Brittany Lang closed with a bogey on 17 and a double bogey on 18 – hitting into the water twice – for a 74 that dropped her into a tie for 10th at 9 under.

Brooke Henderson tallied six birdies and an eagle en route to a 6-under 66. The Smiths Falls, Ont., native finished in a tie for 10th at a combined 9-under par.

MESA, Ariz. – Team Canada Development Squad member A.J. Ewart carded a bogey-free final round 71 on Sunday to finish tied for fourth at the Winn Grips Heather Farr Classic hosted by Longbow Golf Club.

The 16-year-old Coquitlam, B.C., product finished at 4-under par (71-67-71) in the 54-hole event conducted by the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA). He trailed the trio of leaders by just one stroke, with Ricky Castillo of Yorba Linda, Calif., emerging to win the two-hole playoff.

The result marks the third Top-5 AJGA finish for Ewart—he won the Sunriver Junior Open in 2015 and finished T5 at the AJGA/CJGA Junior Championship in 2014.

Fellow Canadian James Song was also in action at Longbow, posting a 77-69-71 (+4) to finish T22. Development Squad teammate Jack Simpson of Aurora, Ont., missed the cut after struggling with scores of 71 and 78.

Click here for full scoring.

RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico – Tony Finau won the Puerto Rico Open on Sunday for his first PGA Tour title, beating Steve Marino with a birdie on the third hole of a playoff at windy Coco Beach.

The 26-year-old Finau won with his third straight birdie in the playoff on the par-5 18th, blasting out of the back bunker to 3 feet.

“I think I’m still a little bit overwhelmed,” Finau said. “It probably hasn’t all sunk in.”

Marino was just off the back edge of the green in two, but left his putt from the fringe 4 1/2 short and missed his birdie try to the right.

“I finally played the hole like you’re supposed to,” Marino said. “I hit the fairway and then hit it on the back fringe. I didn’t think that putt was going to be that slow and then I just hit a poor putt on the second putt. Pretty disappointing, played really well.”

Finau and Marino each shot 2-under 70 to finish at 12-under 276. Marino birdied the 18th to tie Finau, and got into the playoff when Finau missed a 6-foot birdie putt.

“In regulation, it was a putt that I kind of dreamed of making my whole life,” Finau said. “It’s a putt that you practice for your first PGA Tour victory or just for any PGA Tour victory, so I was a little bit bummed that that sneaked by the hole because I hit a really good putt. But I was happy I had another chance at it and was able to make the second one.”

Finau and Marino each birdied the 18th on the first two playoff holes.

On the first extra hole, Marino got up-and-down from the left bunker, blasting to 8 feet. Finau pitched to a foot from left of the green. On the second, Marino hit a flop shot over the right-side bunker to 10 feet, and Finau pitched to 6 feet from in front of the green.

Marino is winless on the PGA Tour. He also lost in a playoff in the 2009 Colonial.

Finau birdied four of the first 10 holes to reach 14 under, then dropped back with bogeys on the par-3 11th and par-5 15th.

The long-hitting Finau, a 6-foot-4 former Utah high school basketball star, is in his second full season on the PGA Tour. He’s the cousin of Milwaukee Bucks player Jabari Parker.

“I tried to just stay in the moment really,” Finau said. “That’s what I learned from last year. You can never look too far ahead and you can’t look back, either. You’ve got to focus on the here and now. I did a really good job of that today even though that putt slipped by in regulation for the win, I knew I still didn’t lose the tournament. I needed to refocus and get ready to play 18 again. That’s what it takes out here I feel like to win. And now that I have that feeling, it’s pretty special.”

Ian Poulter and Mexico’s Rodolfo Cazaubon finished a stroke out of the playoff.

Pouler closed with a 72, missing an 18-foot birdie putt on 18. Playing the event for the first time after failing to get into the Match Play tournament in Texas as the first alternate, the Englishman took a one-stroke lead into the final round.

“It’s a shame. Just slightly disappointing,” Poulter said. “I’m continuing to work on the game to try and improve, and I know if I rectify a couple of poor shots, then my game will improve. Obviously, hitting shots slightly too far right at certain times is costly.”

Cazaubon shot a 68. The Web.com Tour player was making his third PGA Tour start.

“I’m really happy,” Cazaubon said. “I guess I feel really comfortable since the beginning. I didn’t have anything to lose because I play on the Web. I just came here to have some fun here.”

Abbotsford, B.C., product Nick Taylor closed with a 70 to finish T5 at 10-under alongside Andres Romero (67) and Scott Brown (71). Puerto Rico’s Rafael Campos, the leader after each of the first two rounds, was another stroke back after a 72.

Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., carded a 71 to reach 8-under and a share of 11th place. Surrey, B.C., native Adam Svensson shot 73 and finished in a tie for 47th.