Golf Canada recognize two honourees with Distinguished Service Award
Oakville, Ont. (Golf Canada) –A pair of long-time contributors to the sport of golf – volunteer Richard Smith of Regina, Sask. and golf journalist Ian Hutchinson of Newmarket, Ont. – will be acknowledged for their tremendous contributions to the sport as the 2020 recipients of Golf Canada’s Distinguished Service Award.
The presentation of the 2020 Distinguished Service Awards to Smith and Hutchinson will take place during a dinner on Friday, February 28 as part of Golf Canada’s Annual Meeting (February 28-29) at the Hilton Toronto Airport Hotel in Mississauga, Ont.
A former president of Golf Saskatchewan, Smith has spent more than two decades volunteering provincially and at the national level with Golf Canada serving in a number of areas including championships, membership, course rating and golf programming. As a member and past Chair of Golf Canada’s Handicap and Course Rating Committee, he played an instrumental role in Canada’s preparation and education around the roll-out of the new World Handicap System which took effect in 2020.
Hutchinson is a respected sports journalist who has covered the sport of golf for more than 40 years. He is a former golf reporter and columnist for Sun Media and has contributed to a multitude of publications and outlets during his tenure including Golf Scene, Pro Shop, World of Women’s Golf, Ontario Golf Magazine, ScoreGolf and Golf Canada Magazine. In 2008, he launched Golf News Now, a digital platform devoted to coverage of the Canadian golf industry.
“Golf Canada is proud to recognize volunteer Richard Smith along with journalist Ian Hutchinson as the recipients of our 2020 Distinguished Service Award,” said Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum. “Each of their respective contributions to the sport of golf has left a meaningful impact on the Canadian golf landscape. It is with great respect and admiration that we honour these individuals for their passion and commitment to our sport.”
Golf Canada’s Distinguished Service Award has been presented annually since 1993 to recognize individuals who have had an outstanding impact on Canadian golf either nationally or within their community.
In addition to the presentation of the Distinguished Service Awards, Golf Canada will also recognize Bill MacMillan of East Passage, N.S. as the 2019 Bruce Mitchell Volunteer of the Year.
On Saturday, February 29 during Golf Canada’s Annual General Meeting, Charlie Beaulieu of Lorraine, Qué., will be sworn in to serve a second term as President of Golf Canada.
Golf Canada 2020 Distinguished Service Award Honourees:
Richard Smith (Volunteer)
Richard Smith of Regina, Sask. has been volunteering with Golf Saskatchewan for nearly 20 years and almost a decade with Golf Canada. Since 2003, the Katepwa Beach Golf Club member has been a key contributor to Golf Saskatchewan through his involvement with course rating, golf programming and member services. He has served on the executive committee and led Golf Saskatchewan as president in 2014-15. As a volunteer with Golf Canada, Smith has served on numerous committees and has volunteered at numerous regional and national golf championships as a starter and scorer. He has also served on Golf Canada Governor’s Council and as past chair of the Provincial Council served as a member of Golf Canada’s Board of Directors.
Among his many contributions, it was during his time as Chair of Golf Canada’s Handicap and Course Rating Committee (2015-18) and a member of the Handicap and Course Rating Committee that he was most impactful, supporting the National Sport Federation in the research, development, education and roll-out of the new World Handicap System which launched in 2020.
His leadership and commitment to Handicap and Course Rating have also been felt across the country with Smith having led numerous education seminars in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia and Nova Scotia. In 2018, Smith was named the Sask Sport Inc. Volunteer of the Year and was also a recipient of the Golf Saskatchewan Long-term and Exemplary Volunteer Service Award. In 2019 he was a finalist for the Bruce Mitchell Volunteer of the Year honour.
Ian Hutchinson (Media)
Long-time journalist Ian Hutchinson of Newmarket, Ont. has had a meaningful impact over four decades chronicling the game of golf for a variety of outlets and trade publications during his distinguished career as a reporter and columnist. His career began in 1978, covering a multitude of sports including golf for community newspapers including the Newmarket Era, Mississauga Times and Mississauga News before moving on to become an associate editor at MVP, Canada’s national sports magazine at the time.
‘Hutch’ also covered the NHL, CFL, NFL and MLB, before transitioning into full-time golf as an editor with ScoreGolf Magazine. He would go to become managing editor of World of Women’s Golf Magazine before beginning a 14-year run as golf columnist for the Toronto Sun and other Sun Media newspapers. He has contributed to various Canadian and US golf publications as an editor or writer including Pro Shop Magazine, Ontario Golf Magazine, Golf Scene Magazine and Golf Canada Magazine in addition to writing for Golf Channel’s website.
In 2008, he reinvented himself in the digital space when he founded Golf News Now, a Canadian website and daily newsletter devoted to covering the golf industry. With GNN, he has become a trusted voice in the Canadian golf industry with daily insights and reporting on all facets of the game. He continues to make frequent radio and television guest appearances and in 2017, was honoured by the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame with the Lorne Rubenstein Media Award.
Conners sits 3 back of leader Rory McIlroy at Mexico Championship
MEXICO CITY – Rory McIlroy switched back to his old putter for the Mexico Championship and it made a world of difference. It helps that he’s still hitting the ball like the No. 1 player in the world.
McIlroy ripped a 4-iron from 275 yards into the thin air at Chapultepec to 15 feet for eagle on his second hole Thursday, made five more birdies and opened the Mexico Championship with a 6-under 65 for a two-shot lead.
This is the only World Golf Championship that McIlroy hasn’t won as he tries to join Dustin Johnson as the only players to win all four of them.
Justin Thomas and Bubba Watson were at 67 while Canadian Corey Conners shot a 68.
Abraham Ancer of Mexico got some of the biggest cheers, especially when he ran off three straight birdies to overcome a rough start. He opened with a 70.
The course, at about 7,800 feet above sea level, is ideal for McIlroy the way he launched the ball.
All class, champ ???? pic.twitter.com/ul0yWdfLTE
— RBC Canadian Open (@RBCCanadianOpen) February 21, 2020
But this was about his putting. He took only 26 putts and ranked No. 4 in the key putting statistic for the round.
He attributes that to his regular 34-inch putter. A week ago at Riviera, he tried a 35-inch putter to help get his shoulder and elbow in a better position. But he said it hurt with lining up the putts, and it cost him. McIlroy was tied for the 54-hole lead and shot 73 in the final round – including a triple bogey on the fifth hole – and tied for fifth
“It didn’t quite work out the way I want it to, so I went back to the 34-inch,” he said. “I just felt a little bit more comfortable today and was seeing my lines a little bit better. And yeah, it was a good day.”
As for swing? Efficient as ever.
The best example of his advantage was the par-5 15th hole early in his round. U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland, who hits low-trajectory bullets, caught it a little high on the face of the club and it came out low with little spin. McIlroy launched a rocket and was 55 yards past him.
McIlroy, the reigning hit 9-iron from 192 yards that set up a two-putt birdie. It was like that all day.
“I think with the fairways being so soft, as well, on a coule of the par 5s I teed it up high and sort of launched it,” he said. “And then even the drive on the eighth hole, getting it up and over the trees, I hit a 9-iron in there, where Gary and Tommy (Fleetwood) were hitting 6’s in. So that’s a pretty big difference.”
Woodland was even with him until a few mistakes on the front nine sent him to a 70. He’s not about to change his game for one week in high altitude.
“Rory likes to hit it up in the air,” Woodland said. “This golf course … I’m surprised he hasn’t won here because it suits up perfectly for him.”
McIlroy played nicely last year, finishing at 16-under 268, and lost by five shots to Dustin Johnson, another guy whom the course suits well – just not this year.
Johnson, who has gone a year without winning, opened with a 76, his highest opening round since the British Open at Carnoustie in 2018. His only birdie was on No. 1 after making the turn. He hit 3-wood on 303-yard hole to 8 feet and missed the eagle putt.
Chapultepec has plenty of scoring holes, but it’s easy to get out of position and the poa greens are every bit as difficult to putt as Riviera last week.
Not making it any easier was a wind with gusts up to 15 mph, unusual in the four years this World Golf Championship has come to Mexico City.
“You can go so low, but man, if you’re not playing well, you can shoot over par in a heart beat,” Thomas said. “It’s pretty tough to manage your score.”
Louis Oosthuizen, Billy Horschel, Bryson DeChambeau and Corey Conners were at 67. Conners was in position to keep pace with McIlroy until missing a 10-foot birdie on the 15th hole, and then missing the 18-inch par putt.
Watson arrived in Mexico in a good frame of mind after missing the cut in Los Angeles, where he said he hit the ball great but could make a putt. He stuck around for the weekend, called Justin Bieber and had a foursome of fun at Lakeside.
“Freed it up and just had some fun and realized I was in a good frame of mind,” he said. “Who cares about missing a cut, really? We’ve got other things to worry about.”
His only worry Thursday was wind and elevation, a tough combination.
Jon Rahm, who has a mathematical chance to reach No. 1 with a victory, didn’t make a birdie until the 15th hole and still salvaged a 72. Adam Scott, who won last week at Riviera, opened with a 74, along with Jordan Spieth.
Only 18 players from the 72-man field broke par.
Mike Weir’s never-give-up attitude is paying off once again
Before Mike Weir begins his time on PGA TOUR Champions in May, he threw back the clock on the Korn Ferry Tour. On a leaderboard chalk full of golf’s up-and-coming stars, many of whom are half of Weir’s age, the 2003 Masters champion was holding his own.
That never-give-up attitude has never left Weir, even when it seemed like his game had.
“My mindset was, ‘go as low as you can,’” says Weir of his T17 finish at the Korn Ferry Tour’s LECOM Suncoast Classic. It was Weir’s highest result at a PGA Tour-sanctioned tournament since 2014.
“As I approach the (PGA Tour Champions) I’ve felt a different energy and I think being around the guys at the Presidents Cup, playing with young guys on the Korn Ferry Tour, you feel like you can compete at that level. I feel good and it energizes you.”
Canada’s @MikeWeir has not recorded a top-20 finish since 2014.
He’s currently T3 at the LECOM Suncoast Classic, one off the lead.
Less than three months from joining @ChampionsTour. pic.twitter.com/Ik3Mb8AL08
— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) February 16, 2020
Weir was one of Ernie Els’ captain’s assistants at Royal Melbourne in December, and this year he’s had an open schedule playing on the Korn Ferry Tour before he turns 50 in May.
The eight-time PGA Tour winner says he’s been working with a swing coach, Mark Blackburn, a trainer, Jason Glass, and a sports psychologist, Rich Gordon. It doesn’t sound like Weir, who is off on a ski trip before returning to action in a few weeks on the Korn Ferry Tour, is slowing down any time soon.
“Golf’s a game where you have to have everything working well. You have to have your mind in the right place. The balance in my life is good,” he says. “All those things I’ve been working hard on are paying off.”
Things were bleak for Weir just a few years ago as he battled a myriad of injuries and was in a bit of no man’s land with respect to his status on the PGA Tour.
The Korn Ferry Tour has special exemption category for golfers 48-49 before they turn 50. Since Weir has earned more than $28-million in his PGA Tour career, he was one of the highest-earners trying to play the Korn Ferry Tour out of that special category. He could pick and choose his schedule. But prior to getting to that magic number, Weir tried teeing it up wherever he could – including in Europe and Australia.
But at no point did he think of giving up.
“Even when I was really struggling I never thought that. I know what kind of player I am and I know that wasn’t what I was showing on the golf course,” he explains. “There were a number of things I had to iron out through injury and getting back through mobility and technique. I took it as a big challenge.”
Drew Weaver, who played with Weir for the first two rounds at the LECOM Suncoast Classic, says Weir had a great attitude and a renewed perspective since last year. The two met in 2007 when Weaver played The Open Championship as an amateur. At that point, Weir was 40th in the world.
“He still has a ton of game,” says Weaver. “His chipping has always been incredible and his ball-striking was great. It was nice to see him play as well as he did tee-to-green.”
Part of Weir’s inspiration – aside from the jolt he got from playing on the Korn Ferry Tour like Weaver or being in the Presidents Cup team room – is to see how well his fellow Canadians are doing on the PGA Tour.
He was travelling all day Sunday during Nick Taylor’s win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, but he got to his hotel in time to watch Taylor play No’s 17 and 18 and seal the deal. The tournament, where Weir finished runner-up twice – in 2005 and 2009 – is an important one, Weir says, and he was thrilled to see a Canadian lift the trophy.
JERSEY CITY, NJ – SEPTEMBER 28: (L-R) Mike Weir of Canada and Captainís Assistant of the International Team and Adam Hadwin look on during the Thursday foursomes matches of the first round of the Presidents Cup at Liberty National Golf Club on September 28, 2017, in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Scott Halleran/PGA TOUR)
Taylor’s win got him into the Masters. For just the second time ever, there will be a foursome of guys waving the red-and-white at Augusta National.
“For a number of years it’s just been myself and one other guy and sometimes two. You get more numbers there, you have more chances to win,” Weir says.
And, he’s not counting out the potential for another addition.
Weir points to the success Australian and South African golfers have had on the major championship stage.
“We have that kind of talent,” says Weir. “Someone is going to break through here and win a major championship sooner rather than later. It’s been a long time since I’ve won so we’re due for someone else to do it.”
While it’s unlikely Weir will be competing at other majors other than the Masters – never say never, though – he’s got a strong focus on where he will be moving forward.
He says he has no plans to play more Korn Ferry Tour events after he turns 50, but he’ll mix in a few before May. He’s also playing the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship on the PGA Tour before heading to Augusta. Canadian fans will see Weir at the RBC Canadian Open in June, too.
HAMILTON, ONTARIO – JUNE 06: Nick Taylor of Canada shakes hands with Mike Weir of Canada and David Hearn of Canada after their round in the first round of the RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf and Country Club on June 06, 2019 in Hamilton, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, he’ll celebrate the graduation of his eldest daughter from university in late-April. His youngest daughter has just begun university herself, so Weir is becoming an empty nester like most parents his age.
But most parents don’t have the opportunity to re-start their career at 50 with a renewed sense of optimism (or a Green Jacket).
“I’m not saying there wasn’t frustrating moments, but my brain doesn’t work that way,” says Weir of the last few years. “I always believed that I was going to find a way to get better and get it done and find a way back out of it.”
Nova Scotian Bill MacMillan selected as Golf Canada’s Volunteer of the Year
Oakville, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada is pleased to announce that Bill MacMillan of Eastern Passage, N.S. has been named the 2019 recipient of the Bruce Mitchell Volunteer of the Year Award.
A golf tournament official and major contributor to Handicap and Course Rating for more than three decades, MacMillan will be acknowledged during a dinner on Friday, February 28 as part of Golf Canada’s 2020 Annual Meeting at the Hilton Toronto Airport Hotel in Mississauga, Ont.
“Volunteers are the driving force behind the success of golf in this country and we are proud to recognize Bill MacMillan for his deep contributions to support the game of golf in Nova Scotia and at the national level,” said Golf Canada President Charlie Beaulieu. “Bill’s contributions to the sport, especially in the important areas of Rules, Handicapping and Course Rating have had a major impact and it is fitting that his efforts through volunteerism are being recognized.”
Beginning in 2020, Golf Canada has renamed its annual volunteer citation the Bruce Mitchell Volunteer of the Award in recognition of Toronto native Bruce Mitchell who in 2017-18 was the first Canadian to serve as captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A). Born in Victoria and raised in Edmonton, the former president of the Toronto Golf Club and R&A member since 1988 became just the ninth internationally appointed captain of the R&A, one of the most prestigious volunteer positions in the world of golf. Duties as captain included representing the R&A as a global ambassador and aiding in the R&A’s effort to develop golf around the world.
Bill MacMillan and former Golf Canada president Roland Deveau
“Each year in Canada and around the world, thousands of committed volunteers are helping to support the game. Renaming our volunteer citation the Bruce Mitchell Volunteer of the Year Award is a fitting way to celebrate the distinction of Bruce’s selection as R&A captain and pay tribute to a Canadian volunteer who impacted the game both in the community and at a global level,” added Beaulieu.
Now in its 14th year, candidates for the Bruce Mitchell Volunteer of the Year Award are put forth to Golf Canada for consideration by the respective provincial golf associations in acknowledgment of significant contributions to the game of golf in their community.
Bill MacMillan – 2019 Golf Canada Volunteer of the Year
For more than 30 years, Bill MacMillan has been a significant contributor to the Nova Scotia Golf Association (NSGA) working tirelessly as a Referee, Course Rater, and a board member at the Provincial and National levels.
Since 1985, he has served on the NSGA Executive Committee, working as an assistant on Rules, Handicap and as the Chair of the Course Rating committee, a position he holds to the day. In 1995 he became the first elected Vice-President of the NSGA and a year later was elected as President of the association.
During his tenure, he assisted in establishing the NSGA Player of the Year points system as well as the founding the Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation Golf Tournament, an event for high school students to compete at the provincial level. From 2013 to 2018, he served as NSGA Tournament Director and in 2019, was named Chair of the NSGA Tournament Committee.
Bill’s contributions to the game have been especially impactful in the areas of Handicap and Course Rating. Over the span of more than 30 years, he has rated over 2400 holes in seven provinces and two US States. He has also been a Referee at more than 270 provincial and national championships over his lengthy career.
Bill’s involvement with golf was also felt at the national level as he has spent more than 15 years volunteering on numerous committees with Golf Canada. He was Chair of Golf Canada’s Handicap and Course Rating Committee from 2005-2009 and has continued to serve on the committee since 2009.
His contributions to the game also benefited his home club of Hartlen Point Forces Golf Club where he served on the club’s Executive Committee for the past 21 including 17 years as Rules and Handicap Chair. Away from the golf course, he worked nearly 40 years at the Geological Survey of Canada at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography before retiring in 2010.
Congratulations to Bill MacMillan of Eastern Passage, N.S. on being named the 2019 Bruce Mitchell Volunteer of the Year!
Golf Canada names 2020 Team Canada Young Pro Squad
OAKVILLE, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada is pleased to announce the nine athletes who have been selected to the 2020 Team Canada Young Pro Squad.
Comprising the 2020 Men’s Young Pro Squad are returnees Hugo Bernard (Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que.), Jared du Toit (Kimberley, B.C.), Stuart Macdonald (Vancouver, B.C.) and Taylor Pendrith (Richmond Hill, Ont.) along with new additions Chris Crisologo (Richmond, B.C.) and Joey Savoie (La Prairie, Que.). Crisologo, 23, and Savoie, 25, will make their Young Pro Squad debuts after graduating from the Men’s Amateur Squad.
The Women’s Young Pro Squad will be represented by a trio of returning athletes in Jaclyn Lee (Calgary, Alta.), Brittany Marchand (Orangeville, Ont.), and Maddie Szeryk (London, Ont.).
Click here to read Team Canada Young Pro Squad player bios.
Now in its seventh year, the Team Canada Young Pro Squad helps to bridge the gap for top-performing amateurs transitioning into the professional ranks. Since the inception of the Young Pro Squad in 2014, current and former team members have accounted for 43 wins across various professional golf tours including PGA TOUR wins by Mackenzie Hughes and Corey Conners as well as a record nine LPGA Tour wins by Brooke Henderson.
New for 2020 is the amount of coaching the Young Pro Squad will receive. After talking with past players, one of the areas Golf Canada was committed to improving on was the amount of contact time with coaches. That time will double in 2020.
Men’s and Women’s National Squad coaches Derek Ingram and Tristan Mullally will provide coaching to their respective Young Pro athletes. Both Ingram and Mullally are PGA of Canada members and Ben Kern Coach of the Year past recipients.
Golf Canada is also pleased to announce the addition of Team Canada assistant coaches Jennifer Greggain (Chilliwack, B.C.) on the women’s side and Andrew Parr (London, Ont.) on the men’s side who will provide coaching support to athletes on the Amateur Squads. Greggain, the 2018 PGA of Canada Jack McLaughlin Junior Leader of the Year, brings an accomplished competitive resume including two years as a member of the LPGA Tour while Parr, a PGA of Canada apprentice professional and Team Canada graduate played professionally on both the Mackenzie Tour and European Tour.
The athletes will also have access to Team Canada’s sport science staff, which includes physiotherapist Greg Redman and Psychologist Dr. Adrienne Leslie-Toogood supporting the men’s team. The women’s team will be supported by physiotherapist Andrea Kosa and mental performance consultant Christie Gialloreto.
Funding for this program, in large part, comes from the Golf Canada Foundation with generous contributions from founding partners RBC and Canadian Pacific, as well as supporting partners Citi Canada and Bear Mountain Resort – the Official Training Centre of Golf Canada’s National Team program.
Canada’s Adam Hadwin excited to be a father, enjoying return to PGA Tour
To say it’s been a busy start to 2020 for Adam Hadwin is an understatement.
Hadwin took a break from golf after his wife Jessica gave birth to their daughter Maddox on Jan. 8, insuring he could spend time with his young family before returning to the PGA Tour. He was back in time for the Waste Management Open in Phoenix, near his Arizona residence, on Jan. 30.
Hadwin then played in last week’s Pebble Beach Pro-Am in Southern California before joining the field for this week’s Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles.
“This is only my third tournament back and we’re still trying to get used to being parents,” Hadwin said. “It’s still a bit chaotic at home. It’s definitely a change in our life, but it’s very exciting.”
Fellow Canadian Nick Taylor joins Hadwin at the Genesis Invitational this week. They often played together as teenagers at Ledgeview Golf and Country Club in their hometown of Abbotsford, B.C., and remain friends on the PGA Tour.
Taylor became a father himself last year and his wife Andie and his son Charlie were waiting for him on the 18th green on Sunday as he completed his four-stroke victory at Pebble Beach. He told reporters after the win that fatherhood has changed his perspective on golf.
“I think it’s made golf much less important for me,” Taylor said. “I’m still eager and driven to do well but I think when I get home all I’m focused on is what I can do to help Andie out or see what Charlie’s doing, watching him grow.
“It’s just a new chapter my life and I think that’s it’s been a huge help, not making golf so important, living and dying by it.”
It’s early days yet for Hadwin as a father, but he says many golfers on the PGA Tour have told him exactly what Taylor said – that becoming a parent has been a benefit to their game.
In the meantime, Hadwin – who tied for 40th at the Phoenix Open with a 6-under performance and missed the third-round cut at Pebble Beach – is hoping to have a more steady game this week.
“I’m just trying to hit a little bit better, a little bit more consistent throughout the week. My iron play the last little hasn’t been great. It was pretty bad at Pebble, to be honest,” Hadwin said with a laugh. “Hopefully over these next few days we can build some consistency with that and try to hit a few more greens, really.”
Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., and Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., are the other Canadians in the field at the Genesis Invitational.
Hadwin has already qualified for this year’s Masters and British Open and could represent Canada at this summer’s Tokyo Olympics. Playing at the historic Augusta National Golf Club is already circled on his calendar.
“It’s a special place and I’ve always said that in order to get there you have to do something special. It’s not just a one round Hail Mary or anything that,” said Hadwin, who qualified for the Masters by being in the top 50 on the final official world golf rankings list of 2019. “I’m looking forward to getting back in there.”
Golf Canada releases 2020 championship schedule
OAKVILLE, ONT. (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada is pleased to announce its 2020 championship schedule which includes 29 amateur and professional competitions hosted at member clubs across Canada.
The 2020 schedule is headlined by Golf Canada’s premier professional championships – the RBC Canadian Open from June 8-14 at St. George’s Golf & Country Club in Toronto, Ont. (in partnership with Islington Golf Club), and the CP Women’s Open at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver, B.C., from Aug. 31 – Sept 6.
The competition calendar includes eight National Amateur Championships, eight NextGen junior competitions and the World Junior Girls Championship.
Golf Canada conducts the country’s premier amateur and professional golf championships as part of its mandate to promote the sport and support the development of the nation’s top talent through world-class competition. In 2020, Golf Canada will celebrate its 125th anniversary with activities and celebrations planned throughout the championship season.
“Competing in a national championship is an incredible accomplishment for each of the more than 3,000 talented Canadian and international golfers who take part in our competitions,” said Golf Canada’s CEO, Laurence Applebaum. “The depth of talent, engagement among thousands of volunteers, the quality of our host venues and the committed support of corporate partners who have aligned their respected brands with our properties have been core to 125 years of excellence in conducting golf competitions. We are excited to welcome the next wave of Canadian golf champions.”
Golf Canada’s championship season kicks off May 12 with the U.S. Open Local Qualifier at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in Caledon, Ont. and concludes in October with the 7th edition of the World Junior Girls Championship at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont.
To view Golf Canada’s 2020 championship schedule including all host venues, registration requirements and volunteer opportunities please click here.
The Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship will be celebrating its 125th anniversary at The Glencoe Golf & Country Club in Calgary, Alta., from Aug. 3-6. A field of 264 players will be cut to the low 70 players and ties after 36 holes. The champion will receive an exemption into the 2021 RBC Canadian Open, as well as an exemption into the 2020 U.S. Amateur Championship. Additionally, the winner will receive an exemption into local qualifying for the 2021 U.S. Open, and if applicable, the U.S. Junior, U.S. Mid-Amateur or U.S. Senior Amateur Championships. The 2020 event marks the first time the championship will host the 264-player field on the same property (Forest & Meadows courses) since the field expanded in 2010. The inaugural Canadian Men’s Amateur was held in 1895 – the year of Golf Canada’s founding – and has been conducted every year since (excluding times of war between 1915-1918 and 1940-1945).
The 107th Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship takes place July 21-24 at one of Golf Canada’s founding clubs, The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Île Brizard, Qué. The champion will earn an exemption into the 2020 CP Women’s Open, as well as an exemption into the 2020 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. Additionally, the winner will receive exemptions into the U.S. Girls’ Junior, U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championships, if applicable.
Rivershore Estates & Golf Links will host the 82nd Canadian Junior Boys Championship from Aug. 10-13 in Kamloops, B.C. The winner will earn an exemption into the 2021 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship.
The 66th Canadian Junior Girls Championship will take place July 28-31 at Club de golf de Lorette in Loretteville, Qué. with the winner earning an exemption into the 2021 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship.
The 18th Canadian University/College Championship will be held May 25-28 at Club de Golf Les Quatre Domaines in Mirabel, Qué. The national championship features both a team and individual component featuring Canada’s top university and college talent.
The Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur will be held Aug. 18-21 at Riverside Country Club in Rothesay, N.B., with the champion earning entry into the 2021 RBC Canadian Open.
The Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship will be held Aug. 25-27 at the Golf Château-Bromont in Bromont, Que. The winner will earn an exemption into the 2020 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship and 2021 U.S Senior Women’s Open.
Pheasant Glen Golf Resort located in Qualicum Beach, B.C., will host the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship from Sept. 15-18, with the winner earning an exemption into the 2021 U.S. Senior Amateur.
The NextGen Championships round out Golf Canada’s schedule with eight regional junior competitions. The series will run from May through September in conjunction with the respective Provincial Golf Associations.
The Future Links Junior Skills Challenge National Event will be held on Aug. 30 at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver. Thirty-two of the nation’s top-scoring juniors compete for the title of their respective age group (8 and under, 9-11, 12-14, 15-18).
An accomplished field of international competitors will take to Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont., from Sept 28 – Oct. 3, for the seventh annual World Junior Girls Championship. The event will welcome 26 countries playing as three-member squads competing for both a team and individual title. New for 2020, the individual champion will earn an exemption into the 2021 CP Women’s Open.
The Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru National Event will be held at Islington Golf Club in Toronto on Sept. 21. The one-day event is a celebration of the success of all Golf Fore the Cure events held nationwide during the 2020 season. To date, the fundraising efforts of thousands of golfers have totaled more than $6.8 million for breast cancer research since the program’s inception in 2003.
Canada’s Nick Taylor goes wire to wire to win Pebble Beach Pro Am
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Canada’s Nick Taylor faced increasingly windy conditions, a hard-charging Phil Mickelson, and his own struggles in the back nine to come out on top at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Taylor led by as many as five strokes heading into the back nine before bogeys on holes 11 and 12 followed by a double bogey on No. 14 seemed to give Mickleson a window on Sunday. But Taylor, from Abbotsford, B.C., remained unperturbed for birdies on Nos. 15 and 17 for a 2-under 70 round and a four-stroke win over Kevin Streelman, with Mickleson fading to five shots back with three bogeys on his back nine.
Was Taylor really as steely as he seemed, though?
“On the inside? Probably not,” said Taylor with a laugh. “I did feel calm all week and today, but I definitely started feeling some nerves middle of the back nine with really difficult holes and making some bogeys.
“Phil was making bogeys alongside me so it’s not like I was making bad bogeys, it didn’t feel like. It was just playing so difficult.”
That winning putt to become the first Canadian champion at the @attproam ???? pic.twitter.com/TRX0ZlCtFe
— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) February 10, 2020
Playing as the final pairing of the day, Taylor had Mickleson and his legion of fans in lockstep with him through the storied course. A partisan crowd was clearly hoping that Mickleson would win a record sixth tournament at Pebble Beach, his home course.
Both players had a disastrous No. 14 – Taylor double bogeyed and Mickleson bogeyed – but Taylor recovered with his two late birdies and Mickleson didn’t shoot below par again.
“It’s disappointing certainly to have not won, but I got outplayed,” Mickelson said. “I mean, Nick played better than I did. He holed a couple of great shots. That eagle on 6, the putts he made on 4, 5 and 7 … he just really played some great golf.”
Never count out Nick ???? pic.twitter.com/pDd7wBHSgA
— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) February 9, 2020
Instead, Taylor won a PGA Tour event for the second time of his career and set himself up for an exciting 2020 season.
He’ll now join Adam Hadwin, Corey Conners and Mike Weir at the Masters, the most Canadians to ever play at Augusta. He also joins Hadwin and Conners as a potential member of Canada’s Olympic team at this summer’s Tokyo Games. Canada’s two highest-ranked male players in the world golf rankings will compete in the Olympics.
Winning at Pebble Beach guarantees Taylor a full exemption for the 2021 PGA Tour season.
Taylor also made a little bit of history.
Having won the Sanderson Farms Championship in November 2014, Taylor joined Mike Weir and Stephen Ames as the only Canadians in the modern era to win twice on the top men’s tour.
He’s also the first player to lead all four rounds at Pebble Beach since Mickleson accomplished the feat in 2005.
“It’s a unique week with having three different golf courses to play on,” said Taylor. “Each day is a new challenge, totally different. I think that helped a little bit. I won the Canadian junior championship before I went to college, pretty sure I went wire-to-wire there but it doesn’t happen very often to have a great start and back it up with another good round.
“It’s very rare and makes for a tiring week. Now I know 0.1 per cent of what Tiger Woods does every single day, having to talk to media and stuff like that.”
Taylor and Mickleson – who finished the day 2-over 74 – weren’t the only players to struggle with the wind.
Dustin Johnson shot a 78. Matt Every, in the third-to-last group, shot 80. Jason Day closed with a 75.
The best round and best finish belonged to Jordan Spieth, who chipped in to save par on his final hole for a 67. It was the low round of the day and enabled Spieth to finish in a tie for ninth. That narrowly moves him back into the top 50 and makes him eligible for a World Golf Championship in Mexico City in two weeks.
Streelman also left with a trophy. He teamed with Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald to easily win the pro-am for the second time in three years.
Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ont., shot a 3-over 75 to finish tied for 55th at even par.
Alena Sharp cracks top 10 at Victoria Open
MELBOURNE, Australia – Korea’s Hee Young Park, who came close to quitting golf last year, made par on the fourth hole of a three-way playoff Sunday to win the LPGA Tour’s Victoria Open from compatriots Hye-Jin Choi and So Yeon Ryu.
On a course swept by a boisterous wind and as evening closed in Park, Choi and Ryu returned repeatedly to the tee on the dog-leg par-5 18th to play out a gripping finale after finishing tied at 281, 8-under par.
Former world No. 1 Ryu dropped out on the second playoff hole when she missed a birdie putt but Park and Choi continued until luck and nature intervened.
Choi’s tee shot on the fourth playoff hole came to rest against a pine cone in light rough left of the fairway, leaving her with no choice but to chip out. Her attempt to do so came up short, she put her next into a hazard, dropped out, and finally reached the fringe of the green in six.
Park had an eagle putt to win the tournament on the first playoff hole but saw it slide by the cup. She faced three more holes in tough conditions before clinching her third LPGA title.
“Last year was the worst year in my life and I had to go to q-school and I was going to stop golf because I thought (there was) no more game in my mind,” Park said. “Then I made q-school and I had a chance to play another year this year.
“I never stopped and I think God gave to me this present.”
Hamilton’s Alena Sharp started the final round in third, two strokes back from the leader but struggled through a 5-over 77 to tie for ninth. It marked the 14th top-10 finish of Sharp’s career on the LPGA Tour and her first of the season.
The tournament at the 13th Beach Golf Links also featured a European Tour men’s tournament running alongside the women’s event.
After Saturday’s third round, the men’s and women’s fields were reduced to 35 players each plus ties. The final round was played on the Beach course which was one of two courses used in the first two rounds along with the Creek course.
Australia’s Min Woo Lee held his nerve on a day of high winds and high drama to win his first professional title in the same tournament his sister Minjee Lee won as an amateur in 2014 and again as a professional in 2018.
Minjee Lee, who finished in a tie for sixth in the women’s event, was beside the 18th green when Min Woo tapped in a birdie putt to win the title by two shots from New Zealander Ryan Fox.
Lee, 21, began the final round three shots clear of three-time European Tour winner Marcus Fraser and fellow Australian Travis Smyth. But his main challenge came unexpectedly from Fox who carded an 8-under 64 in his final round to move to 17 under for the tournament and to place pressure on the lead.
Lee led by two shots at 19 under coming to the 17th but bogeyed and reached his final hole with only a one shot lead over Fox.
He didn’t falter. He found the fairway, then the green to leave himself a 12 foot birdie put which ended just inches wide of the hole and tapped in for a win which has been long anticipated.
“I just played awesome and I’m proud of myself,” Lee said after embracing his sister.
“I was walking off 14 and I heard a roar and I was guessing (Fox) or someone in that group had made eagle or birdie. I just counted up and figured he could have eagled 16 or birdied 17 and eagled 18.”
He was right. Fox birdied 16 and eagled 18 to complete his charge up the leaderboard.
Fraser shared third with Robin Sciot-Siegrist of France who shot 68 to finish 14-under.
Canada’s Nick Taylor takes 1 shot lead over Phil Mickelson at Pebble Beach
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – The only person standing between Phil Mickelson and his first PGA victory of the season is Canada’s Nick Taylor.
Mickelson and his sublime short game delivered more entertainment than all the athletes and celebrities for the Saturday show at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Mickelson made the impossible look easy from a bunker behind the par-3 seventh green at Pebble Beach. He holed out from a bunker for birdie on the 13th, and chipped in from 90 feet for birdie on the next hole.
When he rapped in one last birdie, Mickelson had a 5-under 67 and trailed Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., by one shot going into the final round. Mickelson will be going for a record sixth title at Pebble Beach, and his first PGA Tour victory since he won this tournament last year.
Taylor had a cold and relatively quiet day, away from all the hits and giggles around the celebrity rotation at Pebble. He teed off at tough Spyglass Hill with a beanie and hand warmers because of heavy marine layer, warmed up as the sun broke through and made a 25-foot eagle putt late in his round for a 69.
Taylor was at 17-under 198 as he goes for his second PGA Tour victory, and first since he won the Sanderson Farms Championship in his fourth start as a tour rookie.
Mickelson hit a flop shot over the bunker on the par-5 18th – how did that one not go in? – to pull within one shot. They will be in the final group, along with their amateur partners. Mickelson has former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young, while Taylor has Golf Digest editor-in-chief Jerry Tarde.
Taylor and Mickelson have never played together.
“It’s going to be a new experience for that reason, if I am playing with him,” Taylor said. “Obviously, if he makes a putt or great shot, the crowd’s going to go wild. I’ve just got to do my own thing, try to block all that out. Easier said than done, without having to do it before, but I’ll do the best I can.”
This is a two-man show; however, Jason Day posted a 70 at Spyglass Hill and was only three shots behind at 14-under 201.
For others, it was a waste opportunity.
Pebble Beach had more wind than earlier in the week, but still gentle enough that low scores were available. Dustin Johnson, a two-time winner at Pebble, was in striking range and could manage only a 72, leaving him eight shots back. Patrick Cantlay, at No. 8 in the world, played the final six holes in 2 over for a 72 and was nine shots back.
Mickelson started with a pair of birdies. He took a share of the lead with a birdie on the par-5 sixth.
And then the fun began.
His wedge on the 110-yard seventh hole that drops down into the Pacific went long and plugged in the back bunker, impossible because of the back pin and a fast green that slopes toward the front. He splashed out so perfectly that it took a few hops in the rough before reaching the green, slow enough to stop 2 feet away for a tap-in par.
Even for Mickelson, it rates among his best.
Then, his 50-foot bunker shot on the tough eighth rolled inches from the cup on No. 8. More trouble supposedly awaited on the 13th when his approach peeled into the left bunker. He raised both arms when that dropped. And on the par-5 14th, he made a mistake by not hitting his punch wedge hard enough. It rolled down the slope, off the green and back into the fairway. Mickelson’s long chip from 90 feet banged into the pin and dropped for birdie.
Mickelson missed two birdie putts from inside 10 feet. And while he hit only nine greens in regulation, he usually had a reasonable angle to the pin to save par – or make birdie, as was the case twice for him.
That leaves a Sunday with plenty at stake for the leading three players.
Mickelson said earlier in the week he would not accept a special exemption for the U.S. Open if he needed one. A victory at Pebble – the 45th of his career – would go a long way toward solving that.
Taylor can validate his first win since his rookie season, an opposite-field event at the time. The Canadian has never been to the Masters and has played in only four majors, two as an amateur.
Day, meanwhile, is a former No. 1 who spent most of last year injured and frustrated. He has gone nearly two years since his last win, and was in danger of falling out of the top 50 if he didn’t starting getting better results.