PARIS – Maximilian Kieffer of Germany was leading on 4 under par with four holes to play when the first round of the French Open was suspended for the day because of thunderstorms on Thursday.

Victor Dubuisson, Bernd Wiesberger, and Jaco van Zyl completed their rounds in 3-under 68, while Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Andrew Dodt were on the same score with one hole left.

Graeme McDowell, seeking a third straight French Open title, was 1 over after 17 holes.

Two thunderstorms disrupted play for a combined 2 1/2 hours at the start of the day.

Kieffer is the most consistent player on the European Tour this season after making 16 cuts – more than anyone else. He birdied three of the first five holes, then Nos. 9, 11 and 12 at Le Golf National – the course that will host the Ryder Cup in 2018.

Balance and the connection between your foot and the ground is an important part of your golf swing.  This is how you will have the ability to develop power and consistency on the course.  The key parts are ankle mobility and having a strong, stable foot in a properly fitting golf shoe.

Since Fred Couples started using comfort golf shoes it seems there has been an explosion in the number of golfers moving from the more traditional ridged shoes.  These comfort shoes are great for walking the 8 km course, however, they don’t offer as much stability during the golf swing as traditional rigid shoes.  Finding the right balance in comfort and lateral stability are keys for your game’s success.

Having a properly fitted golf shoe is also crucial to enhancing the connection of your foot to the ground.  Here are some tips for choosing the right shoe:

• Look at the shape of your foot. This will decide which type of last (the shape of the shoe) in a golf shoe to choose.  If you have a larger foot, then a wider/fuller last would be best whilst a narrow foot needs a sleeker last.
• When you tie the shoelaces of the golf shoe, if the lace eyelets touch, then the shoe is too wide for your foot; if the eyelets are more than 5/8-inch apart then the shoe is too narrow.
• Walk around the golf shop and make sure there is no bunching of the leather in the forefoot or that the shoe slips in the heel. A golf shoe that is snug, but not tight, is ideal, especially since most feet will swell during your round.

The foot works incredibly hard during your four hours on the course.  Some common injuries we often see as golf physiotherapists include:

• Morton’s neuroma where there is a thickening of the nerve between the toes. This causes a shooting/burning type sensation between the toes.
• Osteoarthritis, which causes stiffness and pain in the joint at the base of your big toe.
• Plantar fasciitis, which causes an achy heel pain.
• Metatarsalgia where there is pain in the ball of your foot and more often found in the golfers trail foot.
• These injuries affect your ability to shift your weight to the back leg during the backswing and to transfer through to the lead foot on the downswing.

EXERCISES

Here are three exercises to improve the mobility of your ankle, your standing balance and the co-ordination of the muscles in your foot.

MOBILITY

Sit or kneel down with your calf as relaxed as possible.  Hold a golf club so that the middle of the shaft is in contact with your calf.  Pull the club up and down your calf looking for trigger points (which are sensitive spots in the muscle).  Then, gently, using the shaft, massage out the trigger points for 20 seconds.  This improves your calf flexibility.

STANDING BALANCE

Stand with your hands on your hips.  Balance on one leg with your opposite leg bent to 90 degrees.  Keeping your big toe on the ground, balance as long as possible without stepping the opposite foot down. Work on completing two 20-second sets per leg.

MUSCULAR CO-ORDINATION

With your ankle relaxed, lift your big toe off the ground while keeping the rest of the toes on the ground.  Set the big toe back down and lift the rest of the toes whilst pushing the big toe firmly to the ground.  Alternate back and forth in a smooth coordinated way for 20 seconds; repeat three times.  You can progress this exercise from sitting, to standing, to standing on one leg.

When Austin Connelly was just four years old, he visited his grandparents in Nova Scotia from his hometown in Texas. While he was there, a local news station picked up his story. Connelly was a wunderkind, having just finished third in a junior event up against kids two years older than he.

“He’d rather watch pro golf than watch cartoons,” his grandfather says in the video, as the young Connelly proceeds to knock a 30-foot putt right in the hole at Old Ashburn Golf Club.

Fast forward nearly 15 years, and Connelly is back at Ashburn. This time, he’s making his debut on the Web.com Tour, is on the cusp of becoming a professional golfer and is in the midst of realizing his childhood dream.

Connelly is in the field this week at the Nova Scotia Open on a sponsor’s exemption. He will play the first two rounds with fellow Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Taylor Pendrith after having already played in the pro-am with another teammate in Adam Svensson. The dual-citizen joined the national team earlier in 2015.

“It’s really special to come up here and play in front of my friends and family. I’ve always loved Nova Scotia because it’s a great way to escape the Texas heat,” Connelly says with a smile.

Connelly made his PGA Tour debut earlier this season at the AT&T Byron Nelson, where he made the cut and had incredible hometown support.

That support is likely going to continue at his other home this week.

“Talking to Austin, I know it means a lot to him to be here,” says Gordie Smith, the general manager of Ashburn Golf Club. “Locally, a lot of people may not yet know the name, but once they hear his story, they’ll be cheering him on.”

“If Austin gets it going a little bit, he’ll have a lot of supporters on the weekend. Nova Scotians love to cheer on one of their own,” Smith continues.

It helps that Connelly is not hard to root for.

Although small in stature – he stands about 5-foot-5 and weighs no more than 120 pounds – his game is big. And, the combination of southern charm with Canadian politeness is quite evident, after just a few minutes of talking with him.

“He’s a very nice young man,” says Smith, who also played in the pro-am with Connelly and Svensson.

His parents, too, are very committed to Connelly’s success. Bill Connelly, his father with the Canadian connection, and Bridget, his ever-smiling mother, will be alongside their son as he plays a mix of professional and amateur tournaments throughout the summer.

Connelly will also represent Canada in the Pan Am Games at Markham, Ontario’s Angus Glen in July. The 18-year-old says it will be an honour to represent the red & white.

“Any time you can represent your country, it’s really an amazing thing,” he says. “It should be an amazing experience with all the other world-class athletes. I was so happy when they sent me the invitation.”

Derek Ingram, the men’s national team head coach, will be right there with Connelly and fellow Canadian representative Garrett Rank during the Pan Am Games, even living in the athlete’s village with them.

“Talk about 24/7 coaching,” Ingram says laughing.

Ingram explains that even though Connelly is a short hitter on average (and even more so when compared to someone like his playing partner Pendrith, who has been averaging north of 330 yards off the tee so far this season) his game is solid all the way around.

“He’s sneaky long when it’s not wet out. Most championships are firm and fast, so he chases it up there,” explains Ingram. “His long game – 3-wood, long-irons and the like – they’re just so strong.”

Connelly may be in tough this week, as Ashburn got hit with some hard rain leading into the tournament. However, he’s not letting anything bother him. He knows he has a job to do.

“I want to try to win on Sunday,” he says.

Although he is committed to the University of Arkansas, Connelly says he will pass on that opportunity for now and will go to Q-School. Only if he doesn’t get status will he end up a Razorback.

“I’m looking forward in making the next step and playing in these professional events,” he says. “I’m taking each week as they come and really trying to enjoy every second of it.”

So, this week marks the beginning of a whirlwind summer for Connelly. But it’s a journey he’s been on since he first made that television appearance all those years ago.

And maybe he’ll be on again Sunday night, lifting a trophy over his head.

The full field for the Web.com Tour’s Nova Scotia Open is available here.

Goose Hummock Golf Course in Gibbons, Alta., will welcome many of Canada’s top junior golfers to compete in the 2015 CN Future Links Western Championship. The tournament opens with a Monday practice round on July 6, followed by three rounds of stroke play competition from July 7-9.

The CN Future Links Western Championship is the fifth in a series of six junior events presented in partnership with CN, aimed at supporting the development of junior golf in Canada. Goose Hummock Golf Course, located just north of Edmonton, will test the competitors with its many interlocking ponds situated among a combination of Scottish and everglades architecture.

“We’ve seen several talented junior golfers this season. With the CN Future Links Championship series heading into its final stretch, the Western edition is shaping up to be yet another strong field,” said Mary Beth McKenna, Tournament Director. “Golf Canada is proud to host the championship at Goose Hummock Golf Course with over 75 players competing in their home province.”

Among the local players is Alexander Smith of Calgary, who was recently crowned the 2015 CN Future Links Prairie champion. Smith claimed a two-stroke victory at the event last month and will aim for a repeat performance.

On the Junior Girls’ side, Kenna Hughes – also a product of Calgary – will seek to improve upon her T3 finish at the 2014 CN Future Links Western Championship, contested at Birchbank Golf Club in Trail, B.C.

The 54-hole tournament will offer six exemptions into each of this season’s national junior championships. The 2015 Canadian Junior Boys Championship will be contested from August 2-6 at Summerlea Golf and Country Club in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que. The top six junior girls will earn entry into the 2015 Canadian Junior Girls Championship at Deer Park Municipal Golf Course in Yorkton, Sask., taking place August 3-7. The CN Future Links Junior Girls Western Champion will also gain an exemption into a 2016 Canadian Women’s Tour event of her choice.

The Atlantic Championship will wrap up the CN Future Links series for the 2015 season, July 13-16, at the Gowan Brae Golf & Country Club in Bathurst, N.B. The Quebec edition will be played this weekend, July 2-5, at Golf Château-Bromont in Bromont, Que.

The first event of the championship series saw National Development Squad members Trevor Ranton (Waterloo, Ont.) and Grace St-Germain (Ottawa) claim victory at the CN Future Links Pacific Championship at Pheasant Gen Golf Resort in Qualicum Beach, B.C. Winning on the second stop – the CN Future Links Ontario championship at Pine Knot Golf & Country Club in Dorchester, Ont., – were Jack Simpson (Aurora, Ont.) and Alyssa Getty (Ruthven, Ont.) Joining Alexander Smith in the winners’ circle of the CN Future Links Prairie championship at Cooke Municipal Golf Course in Prince Albert, Sask., was Team Canada’s Alisha Lau of Richmond, B.C.

For more information on the 2015 CN Future Links Western Championship, including a full list of competitors and pairings, please visit the tournament website.

Entries have now closed for the 2015 Ricoh Women’s British Open field at Trump Turnberry Resort, Scotland, July 30 to August 2.

Seventeen year old Canadian Brooke Henderson turned professional at the end of 2014 and, with only limited playing rights, has stormed up the rankings. The native of Smiths Falls, Ont., currently sits at No.46 on the Rolex Rankings. Henderson’s impressive professional debut has resulted in the Championship Committee awarding her a special exemption into the 2015 Championship.

Henderson commented, “I am so excited to play in my first Ricoh Women’s British Open and I am very grateful to the Championship Committee for granting me this opportunity. I played in the 2012 Ladies British Amateur at Carnoustie and I absolutely loved visiting Scotland so I am super excited to be heading back there again. I really enjoyed the different challenges of playing links golf in Scotland and, now that I have gained a little more experience, I think I will enjoy it even more. I can’t wait to get to the Trump Turnberry Resort.”

All of the current top-20 on the Rolex World Ranking, along with all of the current top-20 on both the LPGA Race to the CME Globe and the LET Order of Merit, are in the field for the 39th playing of the Championship. The impressive field will be competing for a prize fund of £1,990,266 (US $3 million).

Mo Martin, the 2014 Champion, has the tough task of defending her title against a field including all of the world’s best players. The entry list includes World No.1 Inbee Park, World No.2 Lydia Ko, World No.3 Stacy Lewis, World No 12 Lexi Thompson, defending U.S. Open Champion Michelle Wie, Ricoh Ambassadors Paula Creamer and Charley Hull, Scotland’s Catriona Matthew, the 2009 Champion and English legend Dame Laura Davies.

The star-studded field is also the most international of the five women’s majors with 23 nationalities already represented in the field to be finalized at the conclusion of final qualifying on Monday 27th July at Irvine Golf Club.

Australian veteran Karrie Webb claimed the Women’s British Open title in 2002 when the Championship last visited Turnberry.

The Ricoh Women’s British Open was founded by the LGU in 1976 and has been staged in conjunction with IMG, the world’s largest sports marketing company, since 1984. The event has been co-sanctioned by the LPGA and LET since 1994 and gained Major status in 2001.

The full list of confirmed entrants into the Championship, can be found here.

Jordan Spieth already has accumulated the second-most FedEx Cup points in the regular season, and there’s still two majors, a World Golf Championship and the John Deere Classic on his schedule before the playoffs begin.

Spieth is at 3,128 points. Tiger Woods had 3,431 points going into the playoffs in 2009, the year the current model began. Woods had 3,059 points in 2013, the year he won five times. Spieth has won two majors and the Valspar Championship, and he was runner-up in the Texas Open and Houston Open. And while the PGA Tour is in the second year of its wraparound season, Spieth played only one event last fall. He earned 34 points at the HSBC Champions.

More significant is what’s going on at the bottom of the list, and a number of players who risk missing the playoffs for the first time.

Geoff Ogilvy is at No. 128 with a maximum of four tournaments left.

Graeme McDowell has found that his enthusiasm was lacking when he gets to the playoffs, in part because of a long year in the majors and saving himself for the end of the season with his European Tour membership. That might not be an issue this year: McDowell is at No. 152.

Ernie Els has never missed the playoffs. He is at No. 172. One spot behind is Ben Crane, who has never missed the playoffs when he was healthy for a full season.

And then there’s Woods, who is No. 202 this week. Woods missed the playoffs in 2011 and 2014 – both injury-plagued seasons – and has only four tournaments left on his schedule before The Barclays.

One other player who needs to get going is Martin Kaymer, who has missed the cut in four of his eight PGA Tour events this year.

GIVE IT UP FOR THE GOOSE: Retief Goosen is a two-time U.S. Open champion who turned 46 in February and is in his sixth straight year without a win.

That doesn’t keep him from trying.

Goosen made it through sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open, the first year after his 10-year exemption ran out. After a tie for fourth in the BMW International Open in Germany, he went to Final Qualifying in England on Tuesday and earned one of three spots in a playoff.

That sends him to St. Andrews for the fourth time for the British Open. He has a pair of top 10s, though he also won the Dunhill Cup in 1997 and 1998 for South Africa with Ernie Els and David Frost.

“I’ve walked a good few miles on that course and I love it,” Goosen said.

Colin Montgomerie, a runner-up in the U.S. Senior Open on Sunday in California, missed the playoff at Woburn by four shots.

WOUNDED WARRIOR: Chad Pfeifer turned to golf as part of his recovery and healing after he lost his left leg above the knee while serving in Iraq. It has taken him one step below the PGA Tour.

Pfeifer, a retired Army corporal and Idaho native, has been given a sponsor’s exemption to play next week in the Albertsons Boise Open on the Web.com Tour. He will be the first veteran amputee to play in an official Web.com Tour event.

Pfeifer, 33, lost his left leg in April 2007 when a roadside bomb blew up a vehicle he was in with members of D Company of the 3rd Airborne Battalion in the 509th Infantry Regiment. Fellow soldier Christian Bagge, who lost both legs in Iraq, encouraged Pfeifer to take up golf during his rehab in San Antonio. Pfeifer played his first 18-hole round 10 months after he lost his leg.

Since then, Pfeifer has won the 2010 National Amputee Golf Championship, along with three wins at the George W. Bush Warrior Open for wounded veterans. He has played Gateway Tour and eGolf Tour events, and he was in “The Big Break: The Palm Beaches, Florida” episode on Golf Channel.

Pfeifer also finished fifth in the American Century Championship at Lake Tahoe, which featured Annika Sorenstam.

WORLD OF WOODY: Woody Austin was one shot out of the lead going into the final round of the U.S. Senior Open and closed with a 76. And he let the USGA have it.

Not because Del Paso was too hard. Because it was too easy.

“I don’t know if they’re upset with the fact that they take the abuse from the young guys when they set up a golf course hard like last week (Chambers Bay), but this golf course could have been incredible,” Austin said. “And they set it up way too easy. There’s too many guys under par, too many 64s, too many 63s. That’s not a U.S. Open.”

Austin didn’t like the 15th hole playing 535 yards as a par 5. Too easy.

“Sunday is not supposed to play easy. Sunday, you’re supposed to see what this golf course is made of,” he said. “U.S. Open is supposed to show the teeth on Sunday, and they made this golf course show nothing.”

FIRST IMPRESSION: Jack Senior won his first event as a pro last week on the Challenge Tour, though the 26-year-old from England can claim one big feather from his amateur days. He knocked out Jordan Spieth in the quarterfinals of the 2011 U.S. Amateur at Erin Hills.

“My brother caddied for me that week and we both said after we had played him that he will be world No. 1 within seven years. He was that good,” Senior said.

Just under four years later, Spieth is the Masters and U.S. Open champion and heads to St. Andrews with a shot at the third leg of the Grand Slam.

He is No. 2 in the world.

“He possesses so much talent and then just doesn’t fear anything,” Senior said. “I beat him down the last at the U.S. Amateur, then he got me in the Walker Cup, so we are currently 1-1. But he is just such a nice and down-to-earth guy. I know for a fact if I qualify for the Open and see him there, then he will come over and speak to me. That’s the kind of person he is.”

Senior missed qualifying for St. Andrews by two shots on Tuesday.

DIVOTS: Minjee Lee, the 19-year-old from Perth, moved up to No. 16 in the women’s world ranking. She is two spots ahead of her mentor, Karrie Webb, making this the first time since the ranking began in 2006 that Webb wasn’t the highest-ranked Australian. … Now that Canadian teenager Brooke Henderson has a Symetra Tour card, she has pulled out of the Pan American Games. Henderson plans to play on the Symetra Tour that week (July 16-19). “Based on my goals for the year, this is an opportunity I cannot pass up,” she said. … Hideki Matsuyama of Japan is the only player from the top 10 in the FedEx Cup who has not won this year. … The European Tour said its prize money for 2015 is up 18.5 percent from a year ago, mainly from the addition of seven new tournaments. Total prize money in the Race to Dubai will be about $185 million. … The second-place finishers in Pablo Larrazabal’ s four European Tour victories have been Henrik Stenson, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia and Colin Montgomerie.

STAT OF THE WEEK: With a tie for 25th in the Travelers Championship, Sergio Garcia became the ninth player to surpass $40 million in career PGA Tour earnings.

FINAL WORD: “Legend is used too regularly, in my view, but he is. If there was a Big Four in golf, he’d be part of that.” – Colin Montgomerie on Tom Watson.

Oakville, Ont. – Fresh off a victory this past weekend, Bubba Watson has confirmed his intention to compete in the 2015 RBC Canadian Open, July 20-26 at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

Watson outlasted Paul Casey in a two-hole playoff this past Sunday to win the 2015 Travelers Championship, his second PGA TOUR win in 2015 (World Golf Championship-HSBC Champions). The eight-time PGA TOUR winner will be making his sixth RBC Canadian Open appearance and his fourth at Glen Abbey. The long-hitting lefty is currently ranked No. 3 in the world and No. 3 in the FedEx Cup standings.

With his addition to the field, Watson will be one of 14 PGA TOUR 2014-15 winners who have confirmed their intention to compete for Canada’s National Championship including Sangmoon Bae (Frys.com Open), Robert Streb (The McGladrey Classic), Charley Hoffman (OHL Classic at Mayacoba), Brooks Koepka (Waste Management Phoenix Open), Alex Cejka (Puerto Rico Open), Matt Every (Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard), J.B. Holmes (Shell Houston Open), Chris Kirk (Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial) and Fabian Gomez (FedEx St. Jude Classic).

Team RBC returns to Glen Abbey…

Four of the in-year winners confirmed for Glen Abbey are members of Team RBC including World No. 5 Jim Furyk (RBC Heritage) who is a two-time former Canadian Open champion. Fellow Team RBC member and World No. 8 Jason Day is a two-time winner in 2015 with a victory at the Farmers Insurance Open and partnering with Cameron Tringale to win the Franklin Templeton Shootout. World No. 26 Brandt Snedeker (AT&T Pebble Beach  National Pro-Am) who won the 2013 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey along with Canadian Nick Taylor (Sanderson Farms Championship) round out the list of Team RBC in-year PGA TOUR winners.

Other Team RBC ambassadors set to compete at Glen Abbey include World No. 16 Matt Kuchar, World No. 30 Ryan Palmer, World No. 48 Graeme McDowell, World No. 65 Luke Donald, and World Golf Hall of Fame member Ernie Els. In addition, Canadian Team RBC members Graham DeLaet, David Hearn, Adam Hadwin and Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Mike Weir will be among the fan-favourites competing for Canada’s National Open Championship.

“The quality and depth of talent on today’s PGA TOUR has never been stronger and we’re thrilled to welcome World No. 3 Bubba Watson, World No. 5 Jim Furyk and World No. 8 Jason Day among our 14 in-year winners confirmed for this year’s RBC Canadian Open,” said RBC Canadian Open Tournament Director Brent McLaughlin. “Along with Canadian and international Team RBC athletes, our field is coming together and no doubt, golf fans will be treated to a world-class showcase at Glen Abbey.”

Other notables who have confirmed their intention to compete in the $5.8M RBC Canadian Open include World No. 40 Hunter Mahan; World No. 57 Marc Leishman; two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen; 2009 U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover; 2009 Open Championship winner Stewart Cink; 12-time PGA TOUR winner Justin Leonard; nine-time PGA TOUR winner Stuart Appleby and six-time PGA TOUR winner Rory Sabbatini.

Most recent players confirmed to compete in the 2015 RBC Canadian Open include:

Bubba Watson

• Eight-time PGA TOUR winner including the 2015 Travelers Championship
• Two-time Masters champion (2014 & 2012)
• Currently ranked No. 3 in the world and No. 3 in the FedEx Cup standings

Jim Furyk

• 17-time PGA TOUR winner
• Two-time  RBC Canadian Open champion (2006 & 2007)
• Currently ranked No. 5 in the world and No. 23 in the FedEx Cup standings

Jason Day

• Three-time PGA TOUR winner
• Currently ranked No. 8 in the world and No. 13 in the FedEx Cup standings

J.B. Holmes

• Four-time PGA TOUR winner, including the 2015 Shell Houston Open
• Currently ranked No. 13 in the world and No. 9 in the FedEx Cup standings

Matt Kuchar

• Seven-time PGA TOUR winner
• Currently ranked No. 16 in the world and No. 27 in the FedEx Cup standings

Chris Kirk

• Four-time PGA TOUR winner, including the 2015 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
• Currently ranked No. 17 in the world and No. 19 in the FedEx Cup standings

Brooks Koepka

• 2015 PGA TOUR winner of the Waste Management Phoenix Open
• Currently ranked No. 22 in the world and No. 18 in the FedEx Cup standings

Brandt Snedeker

• Seven-time PGA TOUR & 2012 FedEx Cup winner
• 2013 RBC Canadian Open champion
• Currently ranked No. 26 in the world and No. 6 in the FedEx Cup standings

Ryan Palmer                               

• Three-time PGA TOUR winner
• Currently ranked No. 30 in the world and No. 45 in the FedEx Cup Standings

Hunter Mahan

• Six-time PGA TOUR winner
• Withdrew from the 2013 RBC Canadian with the 36-hole lead to be with his wife for the birth of their daughter
• Currently ranked No. 40 in the world and No. 67 in the FedEx Cup standings

Marc Leishman

• Currently ranked No. 57 in the world and No. 75 in the FedEx Cup standings

Charley Hoffman

• Three-time PGA TOUR winner, including the 2014 OHL Classic at Mayakoba
• Currently ranked No. 44 in the world and No. 78 in the FedEx Cup standings

Graeme McDowell

• Two-time PGA TOUR winner
• 2010 U.S. Open champion
• Currently ranked No. 48 in the World and No. 152 in the FedEx Cup Standings

Matt Every

• Two-time PGA TOUR winner, including the 2015 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard
• Currently ranked No. 55 in the world and No. 51 in the FedEx Cup standings

Luke Donald

• Five-time PGA TOUR winner
• Currently ranked No. 65 in the world and No. 122 in the FedEx Cup Standings

Ernie Els

• 19-time PGA TOUR winner
• Four-time major winner (1994 & 1997 U.S. Open; 2002 & 2012 Open Championship)
• Member of the World Golf Hall of Fame
• Currently ranked No. 107 in the world and No. 172 in the FedEx Cup standings

Graham DeLaet

• Currently the top-ranked Canadian on the World Golf Rankings (No. 78)
• Currently ranked No. 83 in the FedEx Cup standings
• Competing in his 6^th RBC Canadian Open

David Hearn

• Currently ranked No. 177 in the world and No. 88 in the FedEx Cup standings
• Competing in his 13^th RBC Canadian Open

Adam Hadwin

• PGA TOUR Rookie
• Topped the 2013-14 Web.com money list
• Currently ranked No. 174 in the world and No. 114 in the FedEx Cup standings
• Competing in his 6^th RBC Canadian Open (finished T4 in 2011)

Nick Taylor

• PGA TOUR Rookie
• 2014 Sanderson Farms Championship champion (first Canadian to win on PGA TOUR in six years)
• Former World No. 1 Amateur
• Competing in his 3^rd RBC Canadian Open

Mike Weir

• Eight-time PGA TOUR winner
• 2003 Masters champion
• Inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 2009
• Competing in his 25^th RBC Canadian Open

Retief Goosen

• Seven-time PGA TOUR winner
• Two-time U.S. Open winner (2004 & 2001)

Lucas Glover

• Three-time PGA TOUR winner
• Winner of the 2009 U.S. Open

Stewart Cink

• Six-time PGA TOUR winner
• Winner of the 2009 Open Championship

Justin Leonard

• 12-time PGA TOUR winner
• Winner of the 1997 Open Championship and 1998 Players Championship

Stuart Appleby

• Nine-time PGA TOUR winner

Rory Sabbatini

• Six-time PGA TOUR winner

Additional player and tournament announcements will be made in the coming weeks. The final field for the 2015 RBC Canadian Open will be released on Friday, July 17, 2015 after 5 p.m. ET.

For information about tickets, FREE 17-and-under junior passes, volunteer opportunities or corporate hospitality for the 2015 RBC Canadian Open, please visit www.rbccanadianopen.com.

When asked for my ‘Handicap’, how should I answer? Have you ever been asked on the golf course: “what’s your handicap?” Responses vary.  Some say: “a bad 8,” or “a happy 14,” or joke, “my whole game.” My personal favourite is the following reply: “I’m a 22.9 and willing to engage in any friendly wager”!

Golf certainly lacks clarity in some of its definitions.  You don’t have to look far: how about club or golf club, do you mean the club I belong to and where I play my golf, or the weapons I use to damage and advance the ball with?  Handicap is another term that has multiple meanings in golf.  It can refer to a Course Handicap or it can refer to a Handicap Factor (in the United States, this is known as Index).  The term handicap has been around for ages; its origins generally relate to odds making (and yes that usually means wagering) in several sports, but none so deeply as horse racing and golf.

First, let’s look at the two terms. Then, we’ll define them and explain their meanings to clear up any misconceptions and confusion.  A Handicap Factor is Golf Canada’s service mark that indicates a measurement of a player’s potential ability on a course of standard playing difficulty.  It is expressed as a number taken to one decimal place (e.g. 19.4); this number is then used for conversion to a Course Handicap.  There are a couple of items worth exploring here:

1. Potential scoring ability in a Handicap Factor calculation, we only use a certain number of LOW scores, and for most avid handicappers, it’s the better half of your most recent 20 scores. Many assume it’s an average of all your scores, but that’s not true.
2. The conversion to a Course Handicap. A Course Handicap is Golf Canada’s mark that indicates the number of handicap strokes a player receives from a specific set of tees at the course being played to adjust the player’s scoring ability to the level of scratch golfer or 0-handicap golf. A Course Handicap is determined by applying the player’s Handicap Factor to a Course Handicap Table or Course Handicap Formula. Check out Golf Canada’s App that does this for you automatically: www.golfcanada.ca/mobile; this is the conversion process.

Herein lies the beauty of the Golf Canada Handicap System.  From course to course, even tee to tee, your Handicap Factor “travels” with you and the system allows you to still have a fair and equitable match/ game NO MATTER the ability of the players involved.  The higher the slope rating the more strokes the higher handicapped player simply receives.

One final thought.  I know some leagues love to cook up their own version, and believe they’ve created the perfect Handicap system—even making claims to have eliminated sandbagging.  I’m not picking on any of them, but it would take a small dissertation to explain why alternative methods aren’t better than tracking and using a Golf Canada Handicap Factor.  Unfortunately, there just isn’t enough space here.  Any club, group or league properly administering the Golf Canada Handicap System experiences its benefits; all other versions are simply pretenders.

I hope this clears up any confusion and that you can educate some of your playing partners on the difference between Handicap Factor (transportable number) and Course Handicap that which you are awarded that day for that course and tee. The next time someone asks you “what’s your Handicap” you can provide a detailed answer.

MILTON, Ont.  – The third and final RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifier concluded in fine fashion as Richard (Sunil) Jung fired a 10-under-par 62 to tie the course record at the Copperhead Course at RattleSnake Point Golf Club, in Milton, Ont. The Markham, Ont., product claimed medalist honours to earn an exemption into the 106^th playing of the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club, July 20-26, 2015.

Jung opened and closed his round with eagles to accompany seven birdies. He finished four strokes clear of second place to book his first trip to Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship.

“This is my first event in six months, my plan was to hit fairways, greens and go for the putts where I could. There were some tricky holes. I had a hard time thinking in the present all day because I was so pumped and having so much fun at the same time,” said Jung, a former member of Canada’s National Development Team from 2009 to 2011.

The 22-year-old recognizes the opportunity before him and is excited to play in his first RBC Canadian Open. “It’s definitely an honour for any Canadian to ever play in the Canadian Open. I’ve had many Monday qualifiers for this event. I’m really thrilled and happy to be able to play the (RBC Canadian) Open, it’s a Canadian’s dream to play in this event.”

A total of 144 players competed in the 18-hole stroke play qualifier at RattleSnake Point Golf Club with 24 players, representing the top-15 per cent of the field and ties (17 competitors at 2-under and seven tied at 1-under), advancing to the RBC Canadian Open Final Qualifier to be staged Monday, July 20 at Heron Point Golf Links in Alberton, Ont.

Daniel Kim of Toronto capitalized on a seven birdie performance to finish T2 at 6-under par. Also tied for second was Mississauga, Ont., native Jonathan Kim-Moss who finished his last three holes with an eagle and two birdies. The pair earned their spots in the Monday qualifier, alongside amateurs Branson Ferrier of Barrie, Ont., and Chase Komaromi of Delaware, Ont., who both shot 67 for a share of fourth.

The two-stage qualifying procedure for Canada’s National Open Championship features three regional qualifying events held in Quebec, British Columbia and Ontario, followed by the final qualifying competition on Monday, July 20.

The previous two qualifying events held June 1 at Club de Golf St-Raphäel in Île-Bizard, Que., and Squamish Valley Golf and Country Club in Squamish B.C., awarded 25 players with spots into the Final Qualifying event.

A minimum of four players will gain entry into the 2015 RBC Canadian Open through the Monday qualifier.

For additional information and full results from the RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifier in Ontario, click here.

TORONTO, Ont. – Golf Canada regrets to announce that Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont. has withdrawn from the TORONTO 2015 Pan American Games golf competition.

Statement from Brooke Henderson:

“Since turning professional in December, my goal has been to play in as many LPGA Tour and Symetra Tour events as possible to earn LPGA status and avoid the Q-School process. After winning the Four Winds Invitational last week, LPGA Commissioner Whan graciously granted me membership on the Symetra Tour which allows me the opportunity to earn my way onto the LPGA. I am now guaranteed a spot in a professional tournament the week of July 13. Based on my goals for the year, this is an opportunity I cannot pass up.”

“As an ambassador for golf in Canada, I am disappointed to miss the Pan-Am Games. I am so appreciative for the support I receive every week from Golf Canada and fans across the country. I wish the competitors all the best and look forward to cheering them on.”

Statement from Golf Canada Chief Sport Officer Jeff Thompson:

“We are disappointed to lose Brooke Henderson from the Pan Am golf team but we respect the rationale that went into this very difficult decision.  Brooke is committed to her goal of reaching the LPGA Tour and her recent play including her victory on the Symetra Tour last weekend has provided a unique opportunity that will help her achieve that goal. We will continue to be a strong supporter in her career.”

Golf Canada is currently working with the Canadian Olympic Committee to determine who will join previously confirmed team member Lorie Kane on the Women’s golf team at the Pan Am Games.

The men’s Pan Am golf team will be comprised of 18-year-old Austin Connelly, currently the 13^th ranked player on the World Amateur Golf Rankings along with reigning Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur champion and recently crowned Ontario Mid-Amateur champion Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont.

Golf Canada’s National Women’s Team Head Coach Tristan Mullally of Straffan, Ireland along with National Men’s Team Head Coach Derek Ingram of Winnipeg, Man will serve as coaches for the 2015 Pan Am Golf Team.

The Pan Am golf competition will run July 16-19 at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont.

The field for the 2015 Pan Am Golf Competition will include 32 women and 32 men competing in a women’s individual, men’s individual and mixed team competition (low female and male score combined).