TARRAGONA, Spain – Canadian golfer Aaron Cockerill has earned a European Tour playing card for the 2019-20 season.

The native of Stony Mountain, Man., finished Wednesday’s sixth and final round tied for fifth at the tour’s final qualifying tournament, putting him well inside the top-25 cutoff for a full card.

Cockerill, 27, was 16 under for the tournament, nine strokes behind winner Benjamin Poke of Denmark.

Cockerill played on the Challenge Tour, the top feeder to the European Tour, this year. He finished 49th in the standings.

Cockerill made the trek overseas after spending the past three years on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada following a four-year NCAA run at the University of Idaho.

The European Tour often is called the second best tour in the world, behind the PGA Tour.

The 2019-20 season begins Nov. 28-Dec. 1 with the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa.

NAPLES, Fla. – Mike Whan pulled the LPGA Tour out of a deep hole when he took over as a commissioner nine years ago, and he’s not finished yet.

Whan has signed what the LPGA described only as a long-term contract extension that keeps him in charge as women’s golf tries to expand its exposure through a new television deal being negotiated.

Peter Carfagna, the outgoing chairman of the LPGA board of directors, said Wednesday in announcing the extension that Whan has taken the LPGA Tour “from a struggling sports brand to what it is today – a true powerhouse in women’s sports, equality and opportunity.”

“As my tenure on the LPGA board comes to an end, I could not be leaving this organization in better hands,” he said.

Whan took over in September 2010 for Carolyn Bivens following what amounted to a player mutiny over a heavy-handed style that alienated sponsors right about the time the economy went into a recession.

The LPGA had 24 tournaments that year with total official prize money of $41.4 million, and it had 23 events on the 2011 schedule in Whan’s first year. Only one tournament – the U.S. Women’s Open, run by the USGA – had a purse of $3 million or more.

Now, the LPGA is finishing up a season with 32 official events and $70.2 million in prize money. Five tournaments had a total purse of $3 million or more, and the CME Group Tour Championship has $5 million in prize money, with $1.5 million going to the winner, the richest payoff ever in women’s golf.

The LPGA expanded to five majors with the Evian Championship. It joined forces with the PGA of America to reshape another major, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, held this year at Hazeltine, with future sites at Aronimink and Congressional.

Whan also introduced the International Crown, a biennial competition among eight qualifying countries with four-player teams.

“Ten years ago, I’m not sure many of us would have been bold enough to predict where we are today,” Whan said in a letter to his members, in which he pointed out that 19 of the 33 events on next year’s schedule didn’t exist in 2010. “We have built incredible alliances with many industry stakeholders, who have also helped us to create a stronger LPGA and fuel the growth of young women in the game.”

What said that when he gets asked where he wants to go next in his career, “Three words run through my head: I’m not done.”

The LPGA Tour now has a Tournament of Champions in Florida to start its season, and it has added another Florida event in the spring. It also has three international swings – Asia and Australia in the late winter, Europe in the summer and Asia in the fall.

Even as prize money increases, however, Whan is hopeful of broadening the exposure through television. The Tour Championship, the most significant individual event this side of the majors, is being broadcast on tape delay by Golf Channel until NBC airs the final round live.

The LPGA Tour is using the PGA Tour as its negotiator for the next TV contract, which expires after 2021. The LPGA typically uses an outside agency to help with negotiations, and Whan said this summer no one has been more successful than the PGA Tour.

He also is bullish on trying to persuade more companies to pour sponsorship dollars in the women’s game as they do for the men, either through tournaments or individual players.

“There is no doubt we’re at a tipping point and more executives, shareholders and investors are questioning whether their corporate values are reflected in every aspect of their company, including marketing and sponsorship decisions,” he said in his letter. “Increased corporate support translates into more opportunities for women in golf and more opportunities for female athletes to be seen as role models of confidence, ability and accomplishment.”

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. and ST ANDREWS, Scotland – The USGA and The R&A today announced the World Amateur Golf Ranking ® (WAGR ®) will be determined by a new system called the Power Method beginning with the first update in January 2020.

The Power Method aims to better reflect the current performance of golfers by placing greater emphasis on current form and results by improving the algorithms used to determine the WAGR.

In the new structure, every event in the world will earn a Power based on the strength of its starting field which will then determine the total number of ranking points on offer to the field. This will extend to a maximum of 1000 for amateur events with players also able to gain ranking points from playing in professional tournaments.

The Power Method can be applied to all competitive events: amateur, professional, stroke play, match play, and can also cater to formats the previous system would not accommodate, such as Stableford.

Ranking points will be allocated to players based on their overall finishing position in the tournament rather than on the previous round-based allocation.

“We are thrilled to introduce the Power Method which will significantly improve the World Amateur Golf Ranking,” said Jeff Holzschuh, Chairman of the WAGR Committee. “We have listened to feedback about WAGR since its inception and we believe this change addresses many of the challenges within the previous system.”

Professor Steve Otto, Director of Equipment Standards and Chief Technology Officer for The R&A, commented, “The simplicity and elegance of the revised WAGR system will be of great benefit to competitive players at every level.

“It will be easier for players to become ranked under the Power Method but with the system recognizing current form and rewarding recent top results it will be tougher to remain ranked compared to the previous system.

“The Power Method will make WAGR a true indication of the ranking of the world’s best and leading amateur golfers.”

To ensure WAGR is truly representative of the current competitive environment, event aging will also be introduced as part of the Power Method to best reflect and reward players’ current form. Points from events within the most recent 52 weeks of a player’s record will count at full value. From there, event points will reduce proportionately, approximately two percent, per week before their removal after 104 weeks.

The divisors under the Power Method will also become event based versus the previous round-based divisor scheme. Like the points, divisors will also be aged after 52 weeks. The new minimum divisors will be seven for women and eight for men. Due to the aging of points and divisors under the Power Method, unlike the previous system, minimum divisors will be the same for newly ranked and long-established players.

“We are grateful to our colleagues at The R&A for their work in developing this effort and their partnership in bringing it to life,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA Senior Managing Director, Championships.

“As we have begun to discuss the upcoming changes to WAGR with various constituents, we have received great feedback and believe this will be very warmly received by players and event organizers.”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Nov. 18, 2019 – The LPGA today announced that Diane Gulyas, a retired marketing executive with DuPont, has been elected as the incoming Chair of the LPGA’s Board of Directors, effective Jan. 1, 2020.

Gulyas, who has been an independent member of the LPGA’s Board of Directors since 2017, will succeed Peter Carfagna, the Board Chair in 2018-19 and a member of the Board for the past nine years.

After a 36-year career with DuPont, Gulyas retired in 2014 as president of Performance Polymers, where she directed a $4 billion business portfolio that covered 35 sites around the world, and as DuPont’s Chief Marketing Officer. During that tenure, she was also Chair of a $1 billion joint venture with the Japanese company Teijin, focusing on polyester film. Previously, Gulyas served as DuPont’s group vice president of Electronics and Communication Technologies, with extensive business dealings in Europe and Asia. She is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a member of the Notre Dame Engineering Advisory Board, and also serves on the boards of directors of Ingevity, W.R. Grace and Expeditors.

“I am thrilled and honored to serve with this dynamic and talented Board and management team,” said Gulyas. “We have made significant progress in the last three years. I look forward to enabling this team to increase our impact for our Members and the empowerment of women golfers worldwide.”

Additionally, Madeleine Kleiner, retired executive vice president and general counsel of Hilton Hotel Corporation, and John Veihmeyer, retired Chairman of KPMG International, have been elected by LPGA Tour Membership to join the Board as independent directors. Joining the Board as player directors are Lydia Ko, Amy Olson and Alena Sharp.

Kleiner retired in 2008 from Hilton Hotel Corporation, where she had worked as executive vice president and general counsel since 2001. Prior to her time at Hilton, Kleiner was senior executive vice president and Chief Administrative Officer for H.F. Ahmanson and Company, and was a partner at Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher, focusing on corporate law. She is a graduate of Cornell University and Yale Law School, and serves on the boards of directors of Northrop Grumman and Jack in the Box.

Veihmeyer worked for KPMG from 1977 to 2007, when he retired following a three-year term as Global Chairman. He also served as KPMG’s U.S. Chairman and CEO from 2010 to 2015. During that time, Veihmeyer was one of the driving forces in transforming the LPGA Championship into the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, a partnership between KPMG, the LPGA and the PGA of America. Veihmeyer currently serves on the board of trustees for his alma mater, the University of Notre Dame, and is also on the boards of Ford Motor Company, Financial Accounting Foundation and Catholic Charities of Washington, DC.

Ko is finishing her sixth year on the LPGA Tour. She has 15 wins, including two majors, and at age 15, became the youngest winner in LPGA Tour history when she captured the 2012 CP Women’s Open. Ko represented New Zealand at the 2016 Summer Olympics, where she earned the silver medal.

Olson is also finishing her sixth year on the LPGA Tour. She enjoyed a celebrated collegiate career at North Dakota State University, setting the NCAA record for most career victories with 20, a mark previously held by Juli Inkster.

Sharp is finishing her 15th season on the LPGA Tour. She represented Canada at the 2016 Summer Olympics, where she finished 30th.

Kleiner and Veihmeyer join a slate of independent directors that also includes Gulyas; David Fay, former executive director of the USGA; Jon Iwata, retired senior vice president and Chief Brand Officer of IBM; and Tom Schoewe, retired executive vice president and Chief Financial Officer of Walmart. Ko, Olson and Sharp join fellow LPGA Tour players Kim Kaufman, Pernilla Lindberg and Kris Tamulis, as well as Vicki Goetze-Ackerman, a retired Member who has served as Player President since 2014. LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan also sits on the Board of Directors, as does Marvol Barnard, national president of the LPGA Professionals.

Retiring from the Board of Directors are Carfagna, Chairman/CEO of Magis, LLC, and former Chief Legal Officer of IMG, and Peggy Mulligan, former executive vice president and Chief Financial Officer of Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (formerly Biovail).

WINTER PARK, Fla. – Global Golf Post today announced its seventh annual All-Amateur teams for men and women.

This annual effort is intended to recognize individual performance during the past 12 months for men and women amateurs, mid-amateurs, and senior amateurs.

All told, 179 players from 26 nations are honoured. And among all those players, two stood out as The Post’s Amateurs of the Year – Standford University graduate Brandon Wu and Oregon’s senior Lara Tennant.

Five Canadians were honoured in the 2019 list:

Men’s Mid-Amateur

• Garrett Rank (Elmira, Ont.) – First team
• Joey Savoie (La Prairie, Que.) – First team

Women’s Mid-Amateur

• Andrea Kosa (Calgary, Alta.) – Second team

Women’s Senior

• Mary-Ann Hayward (St. Thomas, Ont.) – First team
• Judith Kyrinis (Thornhill, Ont.) – First team

Among the 179 players, there were four golfers to have won Canadian national championships in 2019:

• Judith Kyrinis (Thornhill, Ont.) – 2019 Canadian Women’s Mid-Am & Senior
• Gene Elliot (West Des Mointes, Ia.) – 2019 Canadian Men’s Senior | First team
• Joseph Deraney (Belden, Miss.) – 2019 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur | First team
• Atthaya Thitikul (Thailand) – 2019 World Junior Girls Championship medallist | First team

Click here for the full list.

NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. – It was announced today that the Canadian Golf Industry Show (CGIS) will take place the week of November 9, 2020 in Vancouver, B.C. The CGIS will feature The Canadian Golf Course Management Conference, presented by the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association (CGSA); The Golf Business Canada Conference, presented by National Golf Course Owners Association Canada (NGCOA Canada) and the Tee Talks National Teaching and Coaching Conference, presented by the PGA of Canada alongside supporting partners; Golf Canada, BCGSA, NGCOA Canada BC Chapter and PGA of BC.

The event will see the individual conferences of the presenting partners coincide at the same location at the same time. The selected location for the conference events is the Sheraton Wall Centre Hotel. This location will allow each individual conference to take place under one roof. The trade show that is an integral part of each event will see exhibitors from all sectors including turf, business and the pro-shop. This approach is a great benefit to the delegates and broadens the marketing value for suppliers. The show is branded as the Canadian Golf Industry Show and will take place at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

“CGSA is very excited about this partnership. Our positions as owner/operators, superintendents and golf professionals compliment each other in our workplaces, so bringing our associations together is a natural fit. There is much to learn from each other and bringing the whole industry together is paramount in a day and age when we’re all so easily separated. We’ve been looking at this opportunity for some time, so to be able to see it come together for the betterment of golf business in Canada is exciting” said CGSA President, Greg Austin.

“The NGCOA Canada is honoured to be partnering with the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association and the PGA of Canada for the inaugural Canadian Golf Industry Show in Vancouver” said Lesley McMahon, President of NGCOA Canada. “This kind of collaboration is what the NGCOA Canada is all about and bringing together these three events under the same roof alongside a shared trade show will benefit the entire industry.”

“We’re excited to congregate in Vancouver for this ground-breaking event that will undoubtedly be a game-changer for golf in Canada. Bringing together the business leaders across the various sectors of our industry under one roof aligns perfectly with our vision of increased collaboration to continue to grow the game and business of golf in Canada” said PGA of Canada President, Mark Paterson.

Watch for additional information on the Canadian Golf Industry Show to be released in the coming months.

OAKVILLE, ONT. – Golf Canada is pleased to announce the names of the 18 athletes, male and female, who have been selected to represent Team Canada as part of the 2020 National Amateur and Junior Squads.

Nine athletes will compete for Team Canada’s National Amateur Squad, consisting of five players on the men’s squad and four on the women’s squad.

Team Canada’s 2020 Squad members have competed and achieved impressive results at regional, national and international competitions, including medals at the Pan-Am Games, NCAA Tournament wins and victories at prestigious amateur competitions.

“Golf Canada is thrilled to welcome an outstanding roster of elite athletes to represent Team Canada in 2020—they are truly deserving as evidenced by their strong performances this past season,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s chief sport officer.

“The athletes selected represent a mix of returning team members as well as talented up and coming athletes who have come through provincial or regional high-performance programs. Each of them will be fantastic ambassadors representing Canada on the global golf stage.”

The following athletes have been selected to Team Canada’s 2020 Amateur Squad:

Men’s Amateur Squad

Étienne Papineau | St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Qué. – Club de golf Pinegrove

Cougar Collins | Caledon, Ont. – TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley

Sam Meek | Peterborough, Ont. – Public Player

Brendan MacDougall* | Calgary, Alta. – Glencoe Golf and Country Club

Noah Steele | Kingston, Ont. – Cataraqui Golf and Country Club

Women’s Amateur Squad

Brigitte Thibault* | Rosemère, Qué. – Club de golf de Rosemère

Mary Parsons | Delta, BC – Mayfair Lakes Golf Club

Sarah-Ève Rhéaume | Québec, Qué. – Club de golf Royal Québec

Noémie Paré | Victoriaville, Qué. – Club de golf de Victoriaville

Click here to read full player bios.

The National Junior Squad—a U19 program—also features nine athletes (four women and five men).

From February through early June, the nine-member Junior Squad will practice out of Golf Canada’s National Training Centre at Bear Mountain Golf Resort in Victoria—the third year that the program has provided centralized training, accommodation and education for athletes during the second semester of their high school year. Team members will be immersed in a focused centre of excellence, surrounded by world-class technical coaching staff and experts in the areas of mental performance, physiotherapy, biomechanics and nutrition.

The following athletes have been selected to Team Canada’s 2020 Junior Squad:

Junior Boys Squad

Laurent Desmarchais* | Longueuil, Qué. – Club de golf de la Vallée du Richelieu

Jace Minni | Delta, BC – Beach Grove Golf Club

JP Parr | St-Célestin, Qué. – Club de golf Ki-8-eb Golf

Bennett Ruby | Waterloo, Ont. – Westmount Golf and Country Club

Malik Dao | Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Qué. – Summerlea Golf and Country Club

Junior Girls Squad

Emily Zhu* | Richmond Hill, Ont. – National Pines Golf Club

Angela Arora | Surrey, BC – Beach Grove Golf Club

Angel (Mu Chen) Lin | Surrey, BC – Morgan Creek Golf Club

Monet Chun* | Richmond Hill, Ont. – Summit Golf Club

*Denotes 2019 National Team returning members

Click here to read full player bios.

 Team Canada Coaching Staff Announced

Golf Canada is pleased to announce the 2020 Team Canada coaching staff that will support both the National Amateur and Junior Squads.

On the men’s side, Derek Ingram of Winnipeg, Man. returns as Men’s Amateur Squad Head Coach. Robert Ratcliffe of Comox, B.C. will lead the Junior Boy’s Squad.

On the women’s side, Tristan Mullally of Dundas, Ont., returns as Women’s Amateur Squad Head Coach. Matt Wilson, from Newmarket, Ont., will oversee the Junior Girls’ Squads.

Wilson, who doubles as Golf Canada’s director of next generation performance, will resume leadership of the Junior Squad centralized program at Bear Mountain, alongside Ratcliffe.

.@coreconn spent seven years with #TeamCanada before going on to win on the #PGATOUR ?? pic.twitter.com/U5HBO6YCPM

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) November 18, 2019

The Men’s and Women’s Amateur Squads will each be adding an assistant coach to support the high-performance needs of the program and athletes. Candidates will be chosen in January.

“Derek and Tristan have had tremendous success with Team Canada athletes and the evolution of our national team program will see Robert and Matt continue in their significant role of leading the centralized training program at Bear Mountain,” added Thompson. “We look forward to expanding our roster of coaches and building on the success of Team Canada to help more of our elite level golfers realize their fullest potential.”

Mullally, Ingram, Ratcliffe and Wilson are all Class “A” professionals with the PGA of Canada.

Golf Canada expects to announce the selection of the 2020 Team Canada Young Pro Squad in December.

TORONTO — The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada is busy preparing for another strong season, announcing Thursday the dates and sites for its six 2020 Qualifying Tournaments, events that help determine the Mackenzie Tour membership.

The six sites will be Mission Inn Resort & Club in Howey-In-The-Hills, Fla. (March 3-6); Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Highland Oaks in Dothan, Ala., (March 10-13); Soboba Springs Golf Resort in San Jacinto, Calif. (March 24-27); Wigwam Golf Club in Litchfield Park, Ariz. (March 31-April 3); TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (April 14-17); and Crown Isle Resort & Golf Club in Courtenay, BC (April 28-May 1).

Each event is a 72-hole, stroke-play, no-cut tournament, with fields of 132 players. An overflow site (TPC San Antonio) will be available if the Tour can’t accommodate a significant number of applicants among other qualifying sites. In the event that all sites exceed their capacities at the entry deadline, and when 78 or more applicants have not been assigned to a site in the lottery process, applicants may be eligible to compete at the overflow site. Having this San Antonio location to accommodate additional applicants will provide the flexibility to conduct a seventh Qualifying Tournament.

“In order to capture ongoing demand, every effort has been made to provide applicants with an opportunity to earn membership to the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada,” said Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Vice President and Managing Director Todd Rhinehart. “Having made adjustments to the registration process and qualifying competition procedures, we have made every effort to accommodate applicants who wish to begin their journey to the PGA TOUR on an equitable basis.”

Registration will open on Tuesday, January 14, 2020 at noon EST.

“So many players have come to our Qualifying Tournaments through the years, and not long afterward we see them playing on the Korn Ferry Tour. From there, they go to the PGA TOUR. It’s at the qualifiers where it all begins for many players as they embark on their pro careers,” Rhinehart added. “I’m constantly amazed at the players who come to play on this Tour. Our roster is deep with talent, and it’s at the Qualifying Tournament where we often see them for the first time. We will continue to welcome the best, up-and-coming players from across the globe and then watch them as they eventually progress to the biggest stages in professional golf.”

Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is new to the Mackenzie Tour Qualifying Tournament rotation, while the other five sites have all hosted tournaments in the past. This is the second time Mission Inn and Soboba Springs have held qualifiers, while Wigwam Golf Club and TPC Sawgrass are hosting for the third time. Crown Isle Resort is a host for a seventh time.

In 2019, England’s David Wicks captured medalist honours at the year’s first Qualifying Tournament, while Americans John Coultas, Will Gordon, Jake Knapp, Chase Parker and Andrew McCain medaled at the other five sites.

During the mid-November early signing period, many Canadian junior athletes shared the exciting news of their respective signings to NCAA programs.

National Junior Squad members Sarah Beqaj, Monet Chun and Ellie Szeryk were among the women to pen their signatures on National Signing Day (Nov. 13).

Women

Men

” … I’m very excited to become a Wolverine in the fall, and I’m looking forward to being a part of the team with some of the best coaches and teammates. Hopefully, I will be able to make a positive contribution to the program …”

Release | https://t.co/CKs7J84aic#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/ULs1kzcFpM

— Michigan Golf (@umichgolf) November 14, 2019

???? @ellieszeryk officially signs on with Texas A&M #NationalSigningDay #Golf pic.twitter.com/y5JRZH9FOb

— Flagstick Golf (@Flagstick) November 13, 2019

 Did we miss someone? Hit us up on Twitter @GolfCanada and let us know!

TORONTO – (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada, in partnership with title sponsor RBC, are pleased to announce that select tickets for the 2020 RBC Canadian Open are now available.

The RBC Canadian Open will be held June 8-14 at St. George’s Golf & Country Club in Toronto with nearby Islington Golf Club hosting the tournament’s official practice facility. Defending champion Rory McIlroy will lead the stars of the PGA TOUR back to Toronto as St. George’s prepares to host for the first time since 2010.With a new premier spot on the PGA TOUR schedule in early June, the RBC Canadian Open is a summer festival marking the unofficial start of Canada’s golf season. The week-long celebration, which sold out certain days in 2019, offers more than just world class golf… it has something for everybody. The RBC Canadian Open delivers affordable and fun entertainment, with excitement both on the fairway and beyond.

Early ticket offerings available include:

GENERAL ADMISSION – WEEKLY BADGES & ANYDAY TICKETS

Take advantage of miles of front row seating! General admission tickets provide access to the golf course—get an up-close look at your favourite PGA TOUR stars, enjoy fan activations throughout the golf course and experience the thrill of major professional golf.

A fully transferable general admission Weekly Badge costs $180 and an Anyday Ticket (valid any day of tournament week) costs $80.

1904 CLUB PRESENTED BY RBC ISHARES

The 1904 Club presented by RBC iShares delivers an elevated fan experience in the heart of the golf course. Located between the 1^st and 10^th greens, this premium destination is the perfect home base to sit, relax and map out your experience following the stars of the PGA TOUR! Enjoy relief and shelter from the elements, take in the broadcast on TV and treat yourself to upgraded food, beverages and hospitality.

A 1904 Club presented by RBC iShares Weekly Badge (valid Thursday to Sunday) costs $300.

VISIT WWW.RBCANADIANOPEN.COM/TICKETS to purchase select 

2020 RBC Canadian Open tickets

Additional ticket options will be available for purchase beginning December 12, 2019 at 10:00 am ET.

Join us to witness world-class PGA TOUR golf,  activities for all ages including ‘The Rink’, local food and patio experiences and more. Get your tickets today and be a part of one of Canada’s premier sporting events – www.rbccanadianopen.com/tickets.

* Youth 13-17 years of age receive a 15% discount, while juniors aged 12-and-under gain FREE grounds admission all week long.