Although they don’t realize it, the players at next week’s World Junior Girls Golf Championship have much in common with the golf course they are competing on.

They are all teenagers, have impressive tournament histories and—as all teens can be—at times unpredictable, capricious and challenging.

The Marshes Golf Club, located in the Ottawa suburb of Kanata, opened in 2002. It holds the distinction of being the last design collaboration between the late Robert Trent Jones and his elder son, Robert Trent Jones Jr. Also of note is that the layout features six par-3s, six par-4s and six par-5s.

As far as tournament history, The Marshes has played host to the Canadian Women’s Tour and five PGA of Canada Senior Championships, plus many top pro and amateur events. Its championship pedigree comes as no surprise as, in addition to its prestigious designers, its owner knows a thing or two about major events. Sir Terry Matthews was born in Wales and moved to Ottawa where he became a high-tech billionaire. His love of golf led him to buy Celtic Manor in his native Wales in 1980 and build two golf courses, one of which was the venue for the 2010 Ryder Cup.

When Matthews developed The Marshes, the goal was to attract public and corporate clients who wanted a high-end golf experience. More about the course shortly, but that experience is enhanced by the glitzy Brookstreet Hotel which overlooks the eighth tee. The CAA/AAA Four Diamond hotel offers not only a great view but outstanding accommodations and cuisine plus a spa, pools and just about every other conceivable amenity. It will be home for a week to the competitors in the World Junior Girls Golf Championship.

Back to golf… As you might expect from its name, the course has its share of water. In fact, that unforgiving hazard is present on every hole, says Head Professional Andrew Donaldson.

In addition to water, he says, every hole presents something else, he says. “Teeth. This is a course that challenges you, but the real challenge is to just keep the ball in play. Take what the golf course gives you and you should score well. Try to bite off too much and you will pay the price. Length is not the primary factor here. You have to place the ball where the hole tells you to.”

Nowhere is that more evident than on the par-5 second hole, one of two tough par-5s in the first six holes. Wrapping around a lake for its entire length, it epitomizes Donaldson’s warning. In fact, he says, the first six holes can make or break a round.

Not that the middle holes are any picnic, but a good round can be derailed over the last three holes, Donaldson says. The 16^th is a par-5 with a stream that cuts across the fairway before meandering up to the left side of the green. The 17^th is a well-bunkered par-3 and the finishing par-4 presents a fairway bunker off the tee and then wetlands that threaten the second shot.

“Unless they are playing very well and very carefully, just about every player will lose a ball during their round,” says Donaldson. “But they are really good players so it should be exciting to watch them tackle the challenge.”

Donaldson and his wife had a baby girl just prior to the World Junior Girls Golf Championship, so he may have an extra interest in this tournament at his home course. He calls the event “an investment in the future” and “good for the game” and he couldn’t be more accurate.

In addition to the four competition rounds which run Tuesday, Sept. 22, through Friday, Sept. 25, there will be a coaching symposium and a skills clinic on Sunday, Sept. 20, and a junior-amateur fundraiser on Monday, Sept. 21. Not only will the championship identify the best under-19 female golfers in the world, but it is intended to raise the profile of the game among that age group and encourage more young women to take up golf.

To learn more about the World Junior Girls Golf Championship, visit www.worldjuniorgirls.com. For more on The Marshes Golf Club, go to www.marshesgolfclub.com.

ST. LEON-ROT, Germany – Carlota Ciganda ended a long first day in the Solheim Cup with the best shot – giving Europe another big boost in an already strong opening session.

The Spanish player holed out for eagle from 135 yards with a 9-iron on the par-4 17th hole Friday to pull her and English partner Melissa Reid even with Americans Cristie Kerr and Lexi Thompson in the fourball match. Play was suspended because of darkness after the shot, with Europe leading the event 4-2.

“I hit it really good and I’m so happy to help the team,” Ciganda said. “There’s still one hole to play, so there is nothing yet but I hope we can add a point.”

Kerr and Thompson took a 2-up lead with birdies on Nos. 13 and 14, but Reid won the par-5 16th with a birdie and Ciganda tied it with her eagle.

“They fought on the back nine to get a few holes going their way,” Thompson said. “But we’ll come back tomorrow early to finish our last hole. We’re pumped. We’re going to be ready.”

In the other suspended match at St. Leon-Rot Golf Club, German pair Sandra Gal and Caroline Masson were 1 up through 15 holes against Gerina Piller and Brittany Lang. Play was suspended earlier for 55 minutes because of the risk of thunderstorms.

“Very crazy,” U.S. captain Juli Inkster said. “We got smoked the first two matches. And we’re looking pretty good in that third match, and then Melissa makes a good putt on 16 and we miss ours. And then Carlota holes it out on 17. That’s the beauty of match play. It’s the beauty of golf.”

England’s Charley Hull won two matches, teaming with fellow English player Melissa Reid to beat Michelle Wie and Brittany Lincicome 2 and 1 in the morning foursomes, and joining France’s Gwladys Nocera for a 3-and-2 victory over Alison Lee and Angela Stanford in fourball.

The 19-year-old Hull had five consecutive birdies in the afternoon match.

“I felt I played great all day, I rolled a couple in, so it was great,” said Hull, 4-1 in two appearances in the event. “I’m just buzzing for tomorrow.”

The 20-year-old Lee, the only rookie on either team, recovered from a stomach bug to play.

“I didn’t feel good to practice at all yesterday or the day before.” Lee said. “I woke up this morning and I felt brand new.”

In the other afternoon match, Swedes Caroline Hedwall and Anna Nordqvist topped Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel 4 and 3.

The teams split the morning matches. Creamer and Pressel beat Nordqvist and Norway’s Suzann Pettersen 2 and 1, Kerr and Thompson topped France’s Karine Icher and Spain’s Azahara Munoz 3 and 2, and Gal and Scotland’s Catriona Matthew beat Stacy Lewis and Lizette Salas 3 and 2.

“I didn’t feel that me and Suzann played all that bad this morning. We just couldn’t really make any putts,” Nordqvist said. “So I was actually surprised she was sitting out this afternoon.”

Nordqvist rebounded to birdie seven of the first 13 holes in the afternoon match.

Europe has won the last two events – in 2011 at Killeen Castle in Ireland and 2013 at Colorado Golf Club – to cut the Americans’ series lead to 8-5.

“It was a good day for us but there’s a long way to go,” European captain Carin Koch said. “They were all so confident and comfortable on the course. I told them last night to just go out and enjoy the crowds and enjoy the fans and the stage they’re on this week. And I think they all did that. It looked like they were having a lot of fun all day, really. I couldn’t be more pleased with them.”

After another day of four morning foursomes matches and four afternoon fourball matches, the event will end Sunday with 12 singles matches.

MONZA, Italy – Lucas Bjerregaard of Finland and Jens Fahrbring of Sweden shared a two-shot lead Friday after the second round of the Italian Open at Golf Club Milano.

Fahrbring had nine birdies in his 8-under 64 to leave him at 13-under 131 at the halfway stage. He dropped a shot on the 13th, but birdied three of the next five holes.

“I am quite surprised where I am because I was not well at the start of this week,” said Fahrbring, who has never been top at a European Tour event. “Today was a little better in terms of how I felt, and perhaps being unwell helped calm me down and lowered my expectations.”

Bjerregaard made just two birdies in his opening nine but an eagle on the first spurred him to a 7-under 65.

“I didn’t play as well as I did yesterday, especially off the tee but I made some good par saves,” Bjerregaard said.

Overnight leader Nicolas Colsaerts got off to a blistering start on Thursday, posting eight straight birdies for a 63, but the Belgian dropped two shots in the opening five holes Friday and finished the round with a 70.

Colsaerts was two shots off the lead, along with Spain’s Pedro Oriol, Frenchman Romain Wattel and Fabrizio Zanotti of Paraguay.

Former top-ranked Martin Kaymer was tied on seventh, three shots off the lead, after more than making up for a bogey on the 12th with an eagle and five birdies for a 6-under 66.

Kaymer called his round “strange”, saying he had fewer chances “but I shot a better score.”

In October 1992, two Canadian sports reporters made a pilgrimage to Ballybunion Golf Club in County Kerry, Ireland.

They were paired with the local 70-something postmaster named Des. When Des discovered his new friends were Canadian, he asked, “Tell me about Norman. What kind of guy is he?”

“You mean Greg Norman,” said one reporter, thinking that was whom Des meant, considering the Great White Shark had won his second Canadian Open at Glen Abbey a few weeks earlier.

“No, Moe Norman,” Des replied.

Moe Norman never had been to Ireland. But Des the Postmaster knew about the legendary Canadian golfer.

Every clubhouse in North America has a favorite story about the Canadian Golf Hall of Famer. And even though he passed away 11 years ago this month, his legend stretches worldwide.

It certainly has extended to Eastern Canada, where David Carver sat around the family dinner table one night 17 years ago and listened to his father and brother go back and forth with stories they had heard about Norman.

David Carver wasn’t into golf, but he certainly knew a good story when he heard one. He already was a successful concert promoter, but after listening to so many Norman tales, Carver was inspired to make a film.

Carver has 25-plus years in the concert business. He has worked with massive acts like Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band, Aerosmith, Van Morrison, Rod Stewart, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, ZZ Top and Bob Dylan.

In what Carver describes as the first of many “the universe unfolding as it ought,” he had just completed a tour with Dylan and was in L.A. visiting with songwriter’s agent, sharing some of the Moe Norman stories he had heard.

Carver asked the agent if he had any connections in the film division that could help him with his Moe Norman project. The agent asked for something in writing so Carver cobbled together a synopsis on the Norman story.

“It was like somebody or something else channeled through me to write the four-page outline,” Carver said.

The agent forwarded the outline and a note came back from Academy Award-winning director Barry Levinson: (1) Hire an entertainment lawyer; (2) That it was a great story; and (3) Obtain permission from the Norman family.

The problem was another writer already had purchased the movie rights to Norman’s story, but over the years was unable to put a screenplay into production.  Eventually the rights expired and Carver’s 17 years of tenacity were about to pay off.  He was back in the proverbial picture.

Carver has hired a writing team and hopes to have a rough draft of a screenplay in his hand by the end of December. Production on Moe’s story could commence in the spring.

“I know what people are thinking, ‘here we go again,’” said Gus Maue, a close friend of Norman’s and along with Ernie Hauser and others are the executors of Norman’s estate. “But I feel pretty confident with David we’ve got to a point where it’s going to happen.”

Carver remarked that he could not have put the film idea together without the help and storytelling ability of Maue, Hauser, Norman’s twin sister Marie Kelly and his brother Richard.

“More than 25 people have called me or wrote me stories about Moe,” Carver said. “This will be a story about more than golf.  There are elements of redemption, vindication, triumph over adversity and the capacity of an individual to grow and change as a person, and in the case of Moe, cause those around him to grow and change. Moe lived much of his life swimming upstream. I think that’s a feeling that resonates with most of us at one point or another.“

Moe was born on July 10, 1929 in Kitchener and passed away at age 75. He and his twin sister Marie were the second and third in a family of six children. His father Irwin was a furniture factory upholster.

Moe fell in love with sports at an early age. He was a .610 softball hitter and an accurate, hard shot in hockey. He was introduced to golf as a caddy at age 11.

He had little interest in school, except math, and was expelled in Grade 9 for skipping school to caddy or play golf.

Those close to Norman believe he had a form of autism that stemmed from a toboggan accident when as a child. He battled an inferiority complex that ran as deep as the famed Principal’s Nose bunker at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland.

Unfortunately, the eccentric golfing genius often was judged by his peculiar mannerisms and appearance – a 5-foot-8 Popeye-like figure who wore turtlenecks on steamy summer days and flashy pants that always were an inch too short – rather than his ability.

Some talents like Lee Trevino, Tom Watson and Paul Azinger love to laud Norman’s ball-striking ability. But Norman never felt he fit in until later in life when he exhibited a desire to better relate to others and discuss more openly about the lessons he learned.

“It’s never been an easy road for me, old Moe Norman,” he once told me. “But the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do in life was to be the best ball striker in the world, to do something that other people wished they could do.

“I still go to bed every night wondering how many times people mentioned my name during the day.”

If Carver had his way, because of his feature film, more people will mention the name, Moe Norman.

Gold River, California’s John Catlin shot a 7-under 63 at Highland Country Club on Thursday to take the first round lead at the Freedom 55 Financial Championship, the final event of the 2015 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

The second year Mackenzie Tour player carded eight birdies to offset a single bogey on Thursday to build a three-shot advantage over six players, including Order of Merit leader J.J. Spaun, Canadians Max Gilbert and Riley Wheeldon and Americans Ben Geyer, Michael Miller and Logan McCracken.

“I tried to go out and have fun today. I think I’ve been taking it too seriously, and I just tried to enjoy every shot and take it all in. I hit a lot of good shots and made some good putts,” said Catlin, who enters the week 42nd on the Order of Merit with two top-10s to his name.

The 24-year old University of New Mexico grad said the pristine greens at Highland freed him up with the putter and helped him build his lead, the largest first-round lead of the PGA TOUR era on the Mackenzie Tour.

“Putting was definitely the key. It’s good to be on some really good greens. I was seeing the lines really well and they happened to go in for me,” said Catlin.

For much of Thursday, it appeared Order of Merit leader J.J. Spaun would keep pace with Spaun and take control of his money list lead, reaching 7-under with a birdie on the 14th. Spaun tumbled with a bogey and double bogey over his final three holes, however, to drop back into a tie for second at 4-under.

“I just made some dumb errors coming in, but there’s nothing I can do about it. At least I’m in a good position heading into the next three rounds,” said Spaun.

Gilbert, the 2013 Freedom 55 Financial Championship winner, posted his lowest opening round of the year with a 66 to share second place through one round.

NUMBERS YOU NEED TO KNOW

3: John Catlin’s 18-hole lead, the largest first round lead of the PGA TOUR-era on the Mackenzie Tour.

34: Players within three shots of second place after one round.

2: Bogey-free rounds on Thursday: Mike Miller (66); Ethan Tracy (68).

QUOTABLES:

“I was hoping to have a good week last week and it went well, so it was perfect. After the break before Calgary, I was 80-something [on the Order of Merit]. I knew I had four tournaments to play well. It’s so good to be here and I’m having some fun.” – Max Gilbert on playing his way into London this week with a T10 finish at the Cape Breton Celtic Classic, moving from 69th to 55th on the Order of Merit.

“I know the guys in front of me and the guys behind me are the ones I need to beat. You want to beat everybody, but that’s my main goal – to stay inside the top-20 this week. I know if I play well that should look after itself, and if I find myself in contention at the end of the week then that’s a bonus.” – Riley Wheeldon, who enters the week 20th on the Order of Merit. The top 10 on the Order of Merit earn an exemption into the second stage of Web.com Tour Q-School.

“It’s exciting that I’m playing the way I know I can play, especially this late in the year when it means something. It was playing so tough today. I don’t know how John Catlin shot 7-under; that’s a good round.” – Michael Miller, who opened with a 4-under 66, his fourth straight opening round of 68 or better.

Notes:

• Weather: 27 degrees Celsius (30 with Humidity). Sunny. Winds 25 km/h.
• Ben Geyer played as a single in the day’s first group, shooting a 4-under 66 in 2 hours and 26 minutes.
• Taylor Pendrith, who owns a $3,919 lead over Albin Choi in the race for Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Year and a $25,000 prize, opened with a 3-under 67, the same first round score as Choi.
• Order of Merit no. 2 C.T. Pan opened with a 2-over 72 to sit T48. Pan must finish in at worst solo third to pass Spaun for the top spot.
• Other players who can pass Spaun with a win: Taylor Pendrith 67/T8, Sam Ryder 73/T54
• Logan McCracken’s 66 was his lowest opening round of the season on the Mackenzie Tour.
• Round 2 tee times will run from 8:00 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. with players re-grouped according to first round score.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Jason Day already had seven birdies on his card and one eagle, courtesy of a shot he holed from 79 yards out of a fairway bunker. He was walking across a bridge Thursday at the BMW Championship when someone asked him during an exchange of greetings, “How are you doing, Jason?”

Jordan Spieth was a few steps ahead of Day, and he could hardly contain his laughter.

“Really? You’re asking him THAT?” Spieth said.

Day has never been better. He powered his way around Conway Farms and was at 10-under par through 17 holes when thunderstorms halted the opening round. His final shot was a 346-yard tee shot with the wind at his back that settled in light rough and left him 44 yards away from a front pin on No. 9.

Day has to hole that Friday morning for a 59. And he didn’t even know it.

“I thought it was a par 72, so I’m sitting there going, `10 under, there’s no chance at all I can get it.’ But if it goes in, it goes in,” he said. “Right now, I’m just trying to play the best I can. I’m just trying to get off to a good start.”

He is playing better than anyone at the moment, a winner in three of his last five tournaments, including his first major. A victory in the third FedEx Cup playoff event would send him to No. 1 in the world for the first time, and not many would argue with that.

Day was four shots ahead of PGA Tour rookie Daniel Berger, who had a 6-under 65. Brendon Todd had a 66. Only 17 players completed the opening round.

Spieth finally got on track. Coming off consecutive missed cuts that eventually cost him the No. 1 ranking, he had a hole-in-one on the par-3 second hole to end a peculiar drought. It was the first time in 72 holes that he was under par during any round in a tournament. And then he chipped in from 80 feet for birdie on the next hole.

Little good that did him.

Walking to the fourth tee, Spieth pointed behind him at Day and said, “He’s still the clinic. I’ve barely got the (honors on the) tee.”

Spieth made a hole-in-one and Day poured in a 20-foot birdie putt. Spieth chipped in for birdie on No. 3 and Day matched it with a 5-foot birdie. The play was spectacular.

The 27-year-old Australian was as sharp as he has been all year.

He is 89-under par dating to the British Open. Day is playing so well that he said every round feels like practice.

“No matter what you do, even if you hit a bad shot, it’s going to be all right,” Day said. “That’s kind of the way it feels. It’s hard to explain because I’m just out there and I’m not really paying attention to the score and I’m hitting it down the middle and hitting it on the greens and holing putts.”

It was the best show of the PGA Tour’s postseason, even for a Thursday that was interrupted by a dark and stormy sky north of Chicago. The group of Day, Spieth and Rickie Fowler – Nos. 1-2-3 in the FedEx Cup – attracted an enormous gallery and the players delivered one great shot after another.

Fowler, coming off his third win of the year at the TPC Boston two weeks ago, must have felt like a third-wheel at the end, though he produced four straight birdies on his front nine. When they made the turn, the hits kept coming.

Day’s shot from 79 yards in a fairway bunker on No. 1 landed beyond the hole and spun back a few feet for eagle to get him to 6 under. On the par-3 second, Spieth’s tee shot just covered the bunker, hopped once in the first cut and rolled into the cup for an ace, the second of his PGA Tour career. Day holed a 20-foot birdie putt.

Both made birdie on No. 3, Spieth with his long chip-in and Day with a wedge to 5 feet. Spieth found his groove with a shot into 4 feet on No. 3 for another birdie.

Day’s power was evident on his final few holes.

He tried to drive the green on the 352-yard 17th hole and landed in the collar, 60 feet away. He nearly holed the chip for eagle. On the 600-yard eighth hole into a strengthening wind, he hit his drive 305 yards and then powered a 3-wood high and into the wind. It landed just short of the green, 30 feet from the hole, and he nearly chipped that one in for eagle.

Day gets one more try for an eagle when he gets back Friday morning, a 44-yard pitch for a shot at 59 to tie the course record Jim Furyk set two years ago.

The way things are going, it’s hard to rule him out.

David Hearn was 3-over-par when play was suspended.

DIVOTS: Rory McIlroy, back to No. 1 in the world, was at 3 under through 12 holes. … Jim Furyk withdrew after six holes with a wrist injury, leaving it doubtful he can play in the Tour Championship next week, and possibly the Presidents Cup depending on the severity of it.

DAVIDSON, N.C. – Brett Stegmaier played his first 10 holes in 8 under and shot a 9-under 63 on Thursday to take the first-round lead in the Web.com Tour Finals’ Small Business Connection Championship.

Stegmaier eagled the par-5 18th – hitting a 3-wood to 2 feet – for a 7-under 27 on his first nine and added birdies on Nos. 1 and 18 at River Run.

“I was thinking about a 59 after the 18th hole,” the 32-year-old former University of Florida player said. “I don’t look at leaderboards, but I always know where I am. Maybe I got a little tight and that’s understandable I think. I played the same way I would have played if I was 2 over.”

Stegmaier made a 50-foot birdie putt on his first hole, and holed a 20-footer on the next. He chipped in from 30 feet for birdie on No. 14, made a 20-footer at 15 and a 35-footer at 17.

The four-event series features the top 75 players from the Web.com Tour money list, Nos. 126-200 in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup standings and non-members of the tour who earned enough money to have placed in the top 200 had they been eligible to receive points. The top 25 players on Web.com regular-season money list earned PGA Tour cards. They are competing against each other for tour priority, with regular-season earnings counting. The other players are fighting for another 25 cards based on earnings in the series.

In position to have to return to Q-school, Stegmaier finished seventh in the regular-season finale in Oregon to jump to 69th on the Web.com Tour’s money list. He earned $31,000 last week with an eighth-place finish in the series opener in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

“I felt relaxed in Portland. It was going to be OK if I played badly. I accepted having to go back (to Q-school),” Stegmaier said. “Then, I had a really good practice and found something with my setup and it’s carried over. … Playing well in Portland gave me a lot of confidence, especially playing well when I really, really needed it.”

Zack Fisher was second after a 65. He was 48th on the Web.com Tour money list.

Ryan Spears, Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo, Australia’s Rhein Gibson and China’s Hao Tong Li were tied for third at 66. Li was 49th on the Web.com Tour money list, Gibson 33rd, and Spears 38th. Grillo would have been in the top 200 in the FedEx Cup standings if he had tour membership.

Sweden’s Henrik Norlander, the Fort Wayne winner to earn a PGA Tour card, opened with a 73.

Canadian Brad Fritsch opened with a round of 1-under 71 and sits T56. He is one shot ahead of fellow countryman Roger Sloan who is T71.

Any doubt about the credibility of the World Junior Girls Golf Championship is immediately erased when you realize just how many of the top NCAA women’s golf coaches are in attendance.

“I was shocked when I saw how many were accredited when we had the first championship last September,” says Jim Clark, who was the tournament director for the inaugural event at Angus Glen in Markham, Ont. “I imagine there might be twice as many this year.”

Ann Carroll, head coach for Team Canada’s national girls’ development squad, will be Team Canada’s head coach when the second annual championship is staged at The Marshes Golf Club in Ottawa from Sept. 20 to 25. “It is really one-stop shopping for the college coaches,” she says, “because, in reality, the world of golf is coming here.”

Even with relatively short advance notice, the first World Junior Girls Golf Championship was a success. The joint initiative of Golf Canada and the Golf Association of Ontario could be viewed as a dry run for the 2015 Pan Am Games golf event, but it also showcased some of the best young female golfers in the world.

As the host country, Canada is entitled to have two teams in the event. In 2014, Team Canada One finished third behind the U.S. and Sweden, thanks to Brooke Henderson, Grace St-Germain and Naomi Ko.

Although Henderson has gone on to become a rising star on the LPGA and Ko is a freshman at North Carolina State, St-Germain of Orleans, Ont., will be back. At 17, she is the oldest member of Team Canada. She will partner with Hannah Lee of Surrey, B.C., and Tiffany Kong of Vancouver to form Team Canada One.

At 13, Euna Han of Coquitlam, B.C., is the youngest Canadian. Other Team Canada Two members are Alisha Lau and Kathrine Chan, both of Richmond, B.C.

“These six athletes have demonstrated some fantastic results throughout the season,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “The performances of Canada’s junior female athletes as a whole have been very strong this year, which made this selection process far from simple. That difficulty speaks to the wealth of golfing talent that Canada possesses. We look forward to seeing this group learn and grow in international competition.”

But to identify the World Junior Girls Golf Championship as just a tournament, albeit an important one, is to devalue the concept.

It truly is a celebration of girls’ golf from many perspectives.

A coaching summit is set to take place on Sunday, Sept. 20, at The Marshes. During the competitors’ practice rounds, PGA of Canada coaches will be paired with international coaches to exchange ideas and share in coaching methodology. Following the practice rounds, the PGA of Canada coaches will gather with Team Canada Women’s Head Coach Tristan Mullally and PGA of Canada Technical Director Glenn Cundari in a round-table discussion.

A junior girls’ skills development clinic will be conducted with PGA of Canada coaches introducing and developing golf-specific skills with junior golfers invited from the community. The junior-amateur fundraiser will see World Junior Girls Golf Championship competitors play with local golfing enthusiasts to raise funds towards the development of golf in Ontario.

“Our hope is that this event will help the development and growth of girls’ golf,” says Tournament Director Mary Beth McKenna, who is the Manager of Rules and Competitions for Golf Canada. “We want it to provide inspiration for the next generation of players.”

But continuing to develop that inspiration will take more than bright ideas and enthusiasm.

For years, a similar event has been conducted for boys in Japan. With title sponsorship by Toyota supported by other corporate donors, it continues to be a success.

It would be gratifying to see corporations provide the same sponsorship support for future World Junior Girls Golf Championships.

For more on the World Junior Girls Golf Championship, visit www.worldjuniorgirls.com.

Going into the Solheim Cup, both teams seem to be fighting for the status of underdog.

The Europeans and Americans have both been trying to dampen expectations before the tournament gets underway Friday.

It’s the biggest prize in women’s team golf and the U.S. can point out that Europe is playing at home and going for three in a row, having captured back-to-back titles for the first time in 2013.

But Europe team captain Carin Koch insists the past will have no bearing at all on this weekend’s competition at the St. Leon-Rot Golf Club near Heidelberg in Germany, and she pointed to the strength of the American team based on the rankings.

“They’re so much higher-ranked than we are,” Koch said. “This is Solheim Cup 2015 and we start from scratch.”

Veteran Scottish player Catriona Matthew agreed.

“World ranking-wise their average would certainly be a lot higher than ours. They’re going to go in here as favorites,” said the 46-year-old Matthew, who will be making her eighth Solheim Cup appearance.

Ten of the American players are in the top 40, while Europe have three, but Angela Stanford believes the Europeans’ point is moot.

“People say, `on paper.’ Well, paper doesn’t play,” the 35th-ranked Stanford said. “When you get out on the course it’s golf and it’s match play, and absolutely anything can happen. And you can’t put on paper somebody’s heart. It’s hard to say (whether) there’s a favorite or not.”

Both teams feature a mixture of youth and experience. Alison Lee, who played her way onto the U.S. team as an LPGA rookie this season, is the only newcomer on either team.

“I’ve played more golf this year than I’ve ever played in my life,” the 20-year-old Lee said.

U.S. captain Juli Inkster picked Brittany Lang and Paula Creamer to join automatically qualified Lee, Stanford, Stacy Lewis, Lexi Thompson, Cristie Kerr, Michelle Wie, Brittany Lincicome, Morgan Pressel, Gerina Piller, and Lizette Salas.

“This team is really connected,” said Inkster, a seven-time major winner. “They’re older. They kind of get what this is about. It’s not about them. It’s about . this is a lifetime experience in one week. And I want them to have a good feeling about this week.”

Lincicome, Kerr, Thompson, Pettersen and Nordqvist all have LPGA Tour victories this season.

Wie, who is 6-5-1 in three previous appearances at Solheim, has overcome a frustrating season hampered by injuries, but she appears to have put the problems behind her. She tied for 16th last week in France at the Evian Championship, her best finish since returning from a left ankle injury. For a time, it wasn’t looking good.

“There are some conversations when I talked to Juli, honestly I told her I don’t know if I could play or not. But the past month, it really has been night and day. I played last week with no pain, knock on wood. And this week, too,” Wie said on Wednesday. “I feel great. I feel really good this week. I’m excited to be here. I’m just ecstatic to be here.”

Koch brought Caroline Hedwall of Sweden, Karine Icher of France, Caroline Masson of Germany and Matthew back to the European team with her four picks. They all played in Colorado in 2013, when Hedwall became the first player to win five out of five matches. She retained the cup for Europe by winning the 14th point.

“For the last year I’ve been hitting the ball really well but I just haven’t putted that well. It kind of was the same situation when I came into the Solheim in 2013 – I didn’t make many putts and all of sudden it works. I’m kind of hoping for some magic this week, too,” said the 26-year-old Swede. Hedwall was also on the winning team in 2011.

The rest of the European team is made of Suzann Pettersen of Norway, Charley Hull and Melissa Reid of England, and Gwladys Nocera of France, who qualified from the Ladies European Tour points list, as well as Anna Nordqvist of Sweden, Azahara Munoz of Spain, Sandra Gal of Germany and Carlota Ciganda of Spain, who earned their spots through their world rankings.

The U.S. leads the series 8-5 overall. The 2017 matches will be played at Des Moines Golf and Country Club in Iowa.

MONZA, Italy – Nicolas Colsaerts matched the European Tour record of eight birdies in a row Thursday on his way to an opening-round 9-under 63 to take the clubhouse lead at the Italian Open.

The Belgian made a solid start on the back nine, parring his first four holes before five consecutive birdies from the 14th to the 18th saw him make the turn in 31.

Colsaerts, who is ranked 218th, also birdied the next three but then narrowly missed from 20 feet on the fourth. The European Tour said Colsaerts was the 11th player to make eight straight birdies but that he won’t officially be given a share of the record as the tournament was using preferred lies.

“It all felt pretty easy to be fair,” Colsaerts said. “We all know what it’s like when you get on fire and you keep going. I didn’t know how many it was, they were just coming. I stopped (counting) at six and it kept going for a while which was good. … I was waiting for a round like this where everything clicks together.”

The 32-year-old Colsaerts, who is seeking his first win since the World Match Play Championship in 2012, had a two-shot lead over former champion Francesco Molinari and India’s Shiv Kapur.

Kristoffer Broberg was also on 65 after a late surge. The Swede was two under through 13 holes after two bogeys and four birdies but birdied the final five holes to move joint second.

Molinari’s last win also came in 2012, in the Spanish Open. He became the first home winner of the Italian Open since 1980 – as well as the youngest winner of the tournament – when he won in 2006.

“I have prepared well the last few weeks to get here in good form and it showed today,” the 32-year-old Molinari said. “It always gives me that extra motivation to play in front of my home crowd. I wish I could do it more often than once a year.”