Buckeye, Ariz. — Danny King is on the verge of capturing his third PGA of Canada national championship of 2015.

The soon-to-be 48-year-old from the Performance Academy at Magna leads the Titleist & FootJoy PGA Club Professional Championship of Canada by a shot heading into the final round Wednesday.

King’s 36-hole total of 6-under-par 138 (70-68) at Verrado Golf Club in Buckeye, Ariz., is a shot better than Kevin Black of Redwood Meadows Golf & Country Club in Alberta.

Winner of this year’s PGA Championship of Canada and PGA Team Championship (with partner Billy Walsh), King said he played well Tuesday, even after a sluggish start to his round.

“I played really well today and even though I started out with a bogey on the first and another on the fourth I was able to settle down and turn pretty good,” King said about his 2-under-par 34 front nine. “The five or six holes are really tricky with distance control,” he said, adding, “I’ll work on some distance control stuff with my short irons and wedges and be better come tomorrow.”

Should King be able to hold on for the win, he’d become just the third player to win three or more PGA Club Professional Championship of Canada titles. Furthermore, he’d become the first player in the history of the association to have won three national championships in the same calendar year.

Waiting on the doorstep, however, sits Black who at 35-years-old is looking for his first PGA of Canada national championship. He’ll tee it along with King and Craig Hocknull (who is at 4 under) in Thursday’s final group.

“It’s not so much nerves as it is excitement and the feeling of wanting to play well,” Black said about what he’ll be feeling on the first tee Thursday. “I’m really looking forward to the opportunity,” he said, adding, “I’ve been in this type of situation a few times so I know how to deal with the feelings, staying positive and having a level head.”

Along with Hocknull sits James Skyrpec at 4 under, T3 for the championship. At 3 under and three shots off the lead lurk 2014 PGA Championship of Canada winner Dave Levesque and Victoria Golf Club’s Lindsay Bernakevitch.

Ron Kenesky is at 2 under, alone in seventh with fellow Ontario competitor Gordon Burns at even par, eighth.  Darryl James and Bill Kelly round out the top 10 at 1-over-par 145.

The Inter-Zone Team Championship, which is comprised of four players per zone (and three scores per team counting), was handed out Tuesday. Team Ontario—Ian Doig, Ron Kenesky, Matt Peavoy and King—captured the title.

Golf is a game for all ages – from youngsters swinging a club for the first time with Golf in Schools equipment to seasoned veterans of the sport who are well into their greying years.

Golf – and all sports – carries its own set of challenges as players grow with the game. While it’s great to stay active and keep fit, players of any sport should always be mindful of the increased risk for injury as they age.

Osteoporosis Canada introduces us to Gary – an avid golfer in his 70s who suffers from the condition affecting the fragility of his bones due to low bone mass and the deterioration of bone tissue.

Those with osteoporosis can still play the game like Gary does, but here are a few exercises to help strengthen muscles and improve balance to lessen the risk of fracture and injury.

For more information from Osteoporosis Canada, please visit their website here.

For an industry recently inundated by gloomy short- and long-term forecasts, a welcome ray of sunshine has been delivered via just-released data from the National Golf Course Owners Association Canada.

Having weathered an inevitable market correction, there are signs the skies are clearing for the Canadian golf industry.

The NGCOA’s year-end Rounds Played and Weather Reporting data show a 9.79-per-cent increase nationally in rounds played over 2014, with an average for 18-hole equivalent facilities of 25,199.

Rounds played in Alberta were up 13.28 per cent, followed by Saskatchewan/Manitoba at 8.36, British Columbia at 6.45, Ontario at 5.95 and Quebec at 5.02.

The lone decrease was in Atlantic Canada, where rounds played were down 11.62 per cent. But there is an obvious explanation for that solitary cloud.

“We started to track weather this year, rather than relying on anecdotal information,” says Nathalie Lavallee, the NGCOA’s Chief Operating Officer. “On a monthly basis, our members would input not only their rounds played, but they would post their specific ‘weather score’, on a scale from one to 10. We saw a lot of sixes and sevens, with the exception of Atlantic Canada, which suffered from a bad winter and spring from which it was difficult to recover.”

Next week’s NGCOA national conference in Toronto will be “a celebration of a really good season,” says Lavallee.

“The better weather generally across the country, plus the improving economy, gives our industry increased optimism going into 2016.”

SHANGHAI – Sergio Garcia shot an 8-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead over the in-form Victor Dubuisson and An Byeong-hun after the first round of the rain-soaked BMW Masters on Thursday.

Garcia, who started his round on the back nine, made four birdies in his first five holes and added another five after the turn to offset one bogey.

Dubuisson, winner of the Turkish Airlines Open two weeks ago, and An each had seven birdies in blemish-free rounds and were tied for second.

Ross Fisher and Lucas Bjerregaard were another stroke back in fourth.

The BMW Masters at Lake Malaren Golf Club is the third of four events in the European Tour’s Final Series, ending in the DP World Tour Championship next week in Dubai.

Race to Dubai leader Rory McIlroy is skipping this week’s tournament, giving the players immediately behind him in the standings, including Danny Willett, Shane Lowry, and Louis Oosthuizen, a chance to make up ground.

Garcia, who is 30th in the standings but has decided not to play the World Tour Championship, equaled his best round on tour this year in a persistent drizzle that soaked the course and led to low scoring.

“I drove the ball very well and that gave me a lot of opportunities to hit some good iron shots,” Garcia said. “It was the kind of round that you’re looking for.”

Dubuisson picked up where he left off after his stirring win in Turkey.

“I feel so great, I feel so good on the greens,” the Frenchman said. “When I read the line good, the putt can only go in the hole, and you don’t have this feeling much of the time.”

Fisher, who had six birdies and no bogeys in his round of 66, almost didn’t play this week after receiving only a 10-day visa from the Chinese government before last week’s HSBC Champions in Shanghai.

He said he was turned away when he tried to extend the visa at the Shanghai Entry-Exit Bureau on Monday, but was finally successful after receiving an 11th-hour letter from local sports officials supporting the extension.

“There were a lot of papers flying around, there were a lot of phone calls, emails being sent,” Fisher said. “To say it was a stressful buildup to today would be an understatement. There were times when I was thinking I might be booking a flight home.”

Paul Casey, who eagled the par-4 14th hole, Thongchai Jaidee, and Justin Rose were three strokes behind Garcia at 5 under, and a group of nine players was another shot back at 4 under, including Henrik Stenson, Ian Poulter, and 18-year-old Dou Zecheng of China.

Willett, who is just behind McIlory in the Race to Dubai standings and can overtake him this week by finishing in 28th place or better, was well off the pace after shooting even-par. He was in a tie for 48th.

“It’s a long four-week stretch, (and I’m) trying to stay fresh,” Willett said. “Regardless of what happens this week … if we win next week, we’re going to win the Race to Dubai.”

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Team Canada’s Tony Gil of Vaughan, Ont., and Eric Banks of Truro, N.S., are gearing up to compete in the Tailhade Cup from Nov. 12–15 at the Los Lagartos Country Club.

Banks and Gil make up one of 16 international two-man teams competing this week in the 72-hole stroke-play event. The Canadian duo will look to defend the title, won last year by Canada’s Corey Conners and Austin Connelly (who also took home medalist honours).

The pair will look to repeat for Canada’s second title in the event’s 20-year history. Gil, a member of the Development Squad, and Banks, a member of the National Amateur Squad, will tee-off at 8:50 a.m. (ART) and 9 a.m., respectively.

Upon completion of the Tailhade Cup, the Canadian duo will also tee-it-up the following week at the Argentina Amateur from Nov. 16–21.

Click here for live scoring.

The second stage of Web.com Tour qualifying school kicks off Tuesday at separate sites across the U.S. from Nov. 10–13 with 13 Canadians in the field. The week following, another 10 Canucks will tee-it-up at two separate events to complete stage II of qualifying.

In total, 23 Canadians will compete for spots in the final qualifying stage held from Dec. 10–13 at PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Nov 10–13

Southern Hills Plantation Club, Brooksville, Fla.

• Sonny Michaud (Rouyn-Noranda, Que.)
• Mackenzie Hughes (Dundas, Ont.)
• Christopher Ross (Dundas, Ont.)
• Michael Gligic (Burlington, Ont.)

Nov 10–13

The Clubs of Kingwood-Deerwood, Kingwood, Tex.

• Austin Connelly (Irving, Texas)
• Marc-Etienne Bussieres (Boisbriand, Que.)
• Beon Yeong Lee (Montreal)
• Eric Hawerchuk (Barrie, Ont.)
• Devin Carrey (Burnaby, B.C.)
• Adam Cornelson (Vancouver)
• Cam Burke (New Hamburg, Ont.)
• Danny Sahl (Sherwood Park, Alta.)
• Ted Brown (Peterborough, Ont.)

Nov 17–20

Oak Valley Golf Club, Beaumont, Calif.

• Max Gilbert (Montreal)
• Ryan Williams (Surrey, B.C.)
• Matt McQuillan (Kingston, Ont.)
• Seann Harlingten (Vancouver)
• Ryan Yip (Calgary)
• Brad Clapp (Chilliwack, B.C.)

Nov 17–20

Plantation Preserve Golf Club, Plantation, Fla.

• Lucas Kim (Toronto)
• Jon Mills (Belleville, Ont.)
• Ben Silverman (Thornhill, Ont.)
• Matt Hill (Brights Grove, Ont.)

The number of players advancing from each site will be determined on a pro rata basis with approximately the same percentage of players from each site moving forward; the number will be announced during the second qualifying stage.

Team Canada Young Pro Squad members Albin Choi (Toronto) and Adam Svensson (Surrey, B.C.) have already punched their tickets to the final stage, along with Kevin Spooner (Vancouver), Eugene Wong (Vancouver), Wilson Bateman (Edmonton) and Justin Shin (Pitt Meadows, B.C.). Taylor Pendrith (Richmond Hill, Ont.)—also on the Young Pro Squad—earned status already by finishing inside the top-five on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada.

Consistent with all events on the Web.com Tour schedule, the finals will be contested over 72 holes.

All players who make it to the final stage of the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament will earn at least conditional status on Tour in 2016.

Click here for scoring.

You’re here to inquire about famous golf trophies? Great.

That’s a specialty of mine. You’ve come to the right place.

The Claret Jug? He’s the elder statesman of our group. The R&A has been giving him out to the winner of the (British) Open Championship since 1873. Talk about shelf life. All of us have tons of respect for ‘Jug.’

Every golfer wants a Green Jacket, but the Masters trophy? That guy is majestic. Someone told me it took 900 pieces of sterling silver to build the rendition of the Augusta National Clubhouse on his base. Prettiest trophy in the game in my opinion.

Fire has been real tough on the boys in Far Hills, N.J. The original U.S. Open Trophy and Havemeyer Trophy, the one they give to the United States Amateur Champion, those went up in flames in two separate fires years ago. Tragic? You bet. But the boys the USGA replaced them with look great don’t they?

Since we’re reminiscing, I recall this one time in 1963. There was no fire, but the Wannamaker Trophy? He got so hot sitting in the blazing sun at the Dallas Athletic Club, that Jack Nicklaus, the PGA Champion that year, had to wrap a towel around the guy just to hold him. Lots of funny trophy stories like that one.

Me? Well, I’ve been a fixture here at the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum for a long time. Can’t say I’m as famous as any of those other trophies. Matter of fact, a lot of people don’t even know I exist. That’s okay. Last time they played golf in the Olympics was 1904. Tough to be relevant when you’ve been away more than a century right? That’s a long time out of the spotlight. But guess what? With golf returning to the Games in Rio next summer, I’ve been enjoying quite the resurgence. Seems lots of people suddenly are interested in me again. It’s been the same for the fella who won me, George S. Lyon. Talented player. Beat Chandler Egan to win me and the Olympic gold medal in pouring rain at Glen Echo Country Club in St. Louis that year. George has been gone since 1938, but with the International Olympic Committee reinstating golf to the Games, he’s been a hot commodity. Lots of people want to know about him and his career.

Like who? Well, Golf Channel for one. They flew up to see me here in Oakville a few weeks ago. Took all kinds of footage, did a photo shoot, talked to the Hall Curator Meggan Gardner about George and me. It was an exhausting day.

Since then, I’ve been on tour. Golf Canada had me on display at Glen Abbey during the RBC Canadian Open. That was fun. Even had my picture taken with Graeme McDowell and Nick Taylor.

The very next week Alyssa Reynolds, the museum’s assistant, drove me to Akron, Ohio for the WGC Bridgestone Invitational. Nice folks at Bridgestone. Paid all our expenses for five days. In return I did a bunch of personal appearances for them. They even put me in the room during a ‘One Year before Golf Return’s to the Olympics’ news conference with Matt Kuchar, Byeong-Hun An and Henrik Stenson. Those guys are funny. Took a bunch of ‘selfies’ for social media. Cool stuff, huh?

Right after that I was back on the road. Yup, Golf Canada flew me to Vancouver for the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open. Boy was I a hit with those LPGA players. They all wanted a picture. Funny how some of them wouldn’t pick me up. How come? Superstitious I guess. Don’t want to jinx their chances of being on their respective country’s Olympic teams. Can’t say I blame them.

What’s next for me? Well, it will be 112 years since golf was in the Olympics, but Canada will be the defending gold medalist next summer. They tell me because of it I’ll be in high demand leading up to the Games in Rio. That means more television, media and personal appearances with lots of questions about George and his 1904 victory.

Am I up for it? Definitely. As I was telling the other trophies here just this morning, you know, it’s kind of nice being relevant again.

Victoria, B.C. – Golf Canada and Bear Mountain Resort have announced a four-year partnership in which Bear Mountain will become the official Canadian training centre for Team Canada’s National Squads.

Bear Mountain Resort, owned by Ecoasis Developments LLP, will provide athletes and coaches with year-round access to all onsite golf and resort facilities including the fitness facility and soon to be constructed premium golf training amenities. Located just outside Victoria, B.C., the west-coast resort is ideally positioned to provide optimal weather and training conditions for athletes from Team Canada’s Amateur, Development and Young Pro Squads.

In addition to the world-class facilities, Team Canada will have access to the award-winning 36-hole Nicklaus Design golf course, located on 836 acres of rolling hills with spectacular mountain vistas and views of British Columbia’s seaside capital city.

“We are very excited to begin this partnership with Bear Mountain and look forward to having our Team Canada players training at one of the best facilities in Canada,” said Golf Canada CEO Scott Simmons. “The facility is well-equipped to provide year-round support for our athletes, coaches and high performance training initiatives.”

While serving as the Canadian training centre for Golf Canada’s National Team program, Bear Mountain will also host two of Golf Canada’s championship events over the four-year period, while also serving as a potential host venue for a Golf Canada Foundation national fundraiser.

“We are very proud that our facilities and community have been recognized by Golf Canada and we are pleased to move forward as their partner and their first Canadian training facility,” said Dan Matthews, President and CEO of Ecoasis Developments LLP. “Supporting athlete development is one of our foundational aspirations at Bear Mountain. Our goal since day one has been to elevate the overall golf experience at Bear Mountain Resort and offer a quality of play that is among the best golf opportunities in the country. Golf Canada recognizes this commitment and we welcome them and their young performance athletes and coaches to train with us at Bear Mountain. “

The Canadian training centre will serve as a home for Team Canada’s training camps—primarily for Development Squad athletes during the shoulder season between October and March – including an upcoming training camp scheduled for February. Team Canada athletes will be hosted onsite at the Westin Bear Mountain Resort and Spa during visits and training camps.

The San Diego Padres have partnered with Callaway Golf to present The Links at Petco Park – a once-in-a-lifetime experience marrying golf with baseball. From November 5-8, the home of the Padres will serve as a truly unique nine-hole golf experience.

The course begins on a putting green in the dugout of the home team. Golfers will then ascend to the ballpark’s upper deck for four holes where they will hit onto the field. No. 6 will see players tee off from field level near the Western Metal Supply Co. building before making their way to the Batter’s Eye in centerfield for No. 7. The bullpen houses the green for No. 8 while the rooftop of the Western Metal Supply Co. building sets the stage for the final hole.

Each hole features a special theme with an opportunity to win various prizes. At the end of the day, golfers will be able to take-in the experience from The Loft which will be converted into the Callaway Clubhouse.

All 1,600 available tee times were quickly booked when opened to the public, but with 29 other Major League Baseball teams, hopefully the idea catches on.

The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada announced today that SportBox Entertainment Group in partnership with the Graham and Ruby DeLaet Foundation will serve as the host organization of the SIGA Dakota Dunes Open, Saskatchewan’s Mackenzie Tour event, transitioning from eight years under VMC Sports & Entertainment Group.

Led by tournament director Hugh Vassos, the event has become a mainstay on the Mackenzie Tour schedule for the past eight seasons. “I have been privileged to work with Chief Darcy Bear and his people at the Whitecap Dakota First Nation, Saskatoon, other Saskatchewan communities, SIGA, SaskTel and all other past sponsors, and of course the best volunteers. I am proud of how the event has grown from an upstart event to a mainstay stop on the Mackenzie Tour,” said Vassos. “It’s been a great run for the past eight years, however in order to help manage its continued growth, it is time for new leadership. I am excited to see the involvement of the Graham and Ruby DeLaet Foundation with SportBox. Graham played the event twice and I think this is a natural progression to have their foundation now take an active role in the Saskatchewan tournament. I look forward to seeing the event make an even greater impact in the province going forward.”

“I’d like to thank Hugh for all his hard work in making the SIGA Dakota Dunes Open a success for the last eight seasons, growing it from nothing into what it is today and providing a foundation for it to continue to flourish. The tournament is among the players’ favourite stops every year and we’re looking forward to seeing it make an even greater impact going forward with the Graham and Ruby DeLaet Foundation,” said Mackenzie Tour President Jeff Monday.

Vassos will remain involved with the Tour in a consulting role going forward. SportBox Entertainment Group, a sport, lifestyle and entertainment firm that has business verticals in event management, consulting and talent representation, will assume operational control of the event. Graham DeLaet, a talent client of SportBox, will see his foundation as the driving force behind the event to raise funds for local charitable initiatives. SportBox Group, will work in collaboration with the Graham and Ruby DeLaet Foundation to ensure the event’s continued success, while integrating a strong community-centric focus.

With the event taking place in his home province of Saskatchewan, and DeLaet being an alumnus of the Mackenzie Tour, it was a natural fit for him to get involved. The Graham and Ruby DeLaet Foundation, which Graham started with wife Ruby in 2014, will work with SportBox to identify a local cause to support through the event to give back to the community.

The Graham and Ruby DeLaet Foundation was launched with a central focus on supporting children’s health and wellness, as well as supporting the development of junior golfers at all levels. Since 2011, Graham and Ruby DeLaet’s charitable initiatives have raised over $1 million for causes and organizations across Canada including the Children’s Wish Foundation of Saskatchewan, the Ronald McDonald House of Saskatchewan, the Weyburn & District Hospital Foundation, the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan, and the Calgary Flames Foundation.

“As an alumnus of the Tour, and the opportunity to be part of an event in my backyard, it made sense for me to team up with my agency so that Ruby and I can support the event, while also using it as a means to give back to charitable initiatives in my home province,” said Graham DeLaet. “I’m excited to work with SportBox and the Tour on shaping what the event will look like.”

“We launched our Foundation when Graham was at a point in his career that it made sense to start giving back to the people that supported him along his journey to the PGA TOUR,” said Ruby DeLaet. “Our Foundation represents Graham’s roots in Canada by supporting local causes that are close to us, and we’re excited to make a positive impact in the Saskatchewan community with this event partnership.”

The team at SportBox is also connected to the Saskatchewan market with a corporate office located in Saskatoon.

“This initiative is a strategic fit for SportBox because of the company’s presence in Saskatchewan, relationship and collaboration with Graham, and him having roots in the province and being embedded in the community,” said David Dube, Chairman of SportBox Entertainment Group. “We look forward to working with the event stakeholders and community partners to identify a local cause that the event supports each year, in addition to providing a great experience for players and spectators.”

SIGA (Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority) will continue to host the tournament as the event’s title sponsor. The tournament will be played at Dakota Dunes Golf Links, a SCORE Golf top 100-ranked course laid spaciously throughout natural sand dune formations and the indigenous prairie grasses that surround its edges.

“For the past eight years SIGA has been proud to be the title sponsor for Saskatchewan’s premier golf event – The SIGA Dakota Dunes Open. I would like to thank our fellow sponsors, the Mackenzie Tour and the many organizers and volunteers who make professional golf a reality in Saskatchewan. We look forward to working with the team at SportBox Entertainment Group in partnership with the Graham and Ruby DeLaet Foundation,” said Zane Hansen, President and CEO, Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA).

The date for the 2016 SIGA Dakota Dunes Open will be announced at a later date.