While signing autographs at the 2018 Valero Texas Open, Corey Conners told a group of young fans he’d give away his hat to the first person that could say what his name was. It was a contest without a winner.

That will change next year when Conners, of Listowel, Ont., returns to the Texas Open as the defending champion. His first career PGA Tour win came at the April event and was the highlight of the year for Canada’s top male golfer last season.

“The win is something that’s such a huge deal. You always wonder if it’s possible,” Conners said in a phone interview from West Palm Beach, Fla. “It’s not easy to win. You have to be a great player and have a special week. There are a lot of things that have to add up to give yourself chances to win.”

Conners was the only Canadian to make the season-ending Tour Championship on the PGA Tour, which ended Sunday. In 28 events this season Conners had four top-10 finishes and earned nearly US$3-million on the course. He finished 26th on the FedEx Cup standings.

By getting to the final event of the season – the Tour Championship features only the top 30 golfers in the FedEx Cup – Conners earned an automatic berth in the Masters, U.S. Open, and British Open next year.

Although he doesn’t qualify immediately for the PGA Championship, it’s likely he’ll earn a spot in that field as well. In all, Conners had one of the most successful Canadian seasons on the PGA Tour in recent memory.

“Last week (at the Tour Championship) we had some delays so a lot of guys were just hanging around. The company I had, it was kind of like, ‘Holy. I belong with these guys?’ It was pretty cool,” Conners said.

There are 10 events coming up in the fall portion of the 2019-20 PGA Tour schedule, which starts next week, and Conners said his focus has shifted towards making the Presidents Cup team.

Conners said he’s still not sure what his strategy for playing this fall would be. He could either play a lot and try to earn points every time he tees it up, he said, or rest and just play a few tournaments while hoping for very solid finishes instead.

Although Adam Hadwin is higher in the official world golf ranking , Conners had the better season. Conners is hopeful Presidents Cup International team captain Ernie Els will use one of his captain’s picks on him.

Canadian Mike Weir is one of Els’ assistant captains, and Conners had a call with Weir this week to chat about a potential position on the squad.

Although Conners would be a rookie on the team, his ball-striking prowess would make him an asset. He led the PGA Tour in greens in regulation percentage this year and was near the top of a handful of other key ball-striking categories.

“I take pride in things like that,” Conners said.

While his ball striking was world class, his short game was something he said he’ll be working hard on this off-season. For all the accolades for his iron play, he was near the bottom of the PGA Tour when it came to putting.

“The weeks I played well were the weeks I putted average, maybe a little better. I had a couple of really good putting weeks, but some big inconsistencies there,” he said. “The putter let me down a lot.”

Putting aside, Conners did everything else right this year – well, almost. He married his wife Malory in October and it’s been a whirlwind of travel ever since, so they haven’t yet had a honeymoon.

Conners isn’t sure when they’ll be able to go on one – the Presidents Cup is in Australia in mid-December, so they might try for something around then – but he knows he needs to make it happen soon.

“She’s a bit rattled with me not exactly knowing my schedule,” Conners said with a laugh. “But I definitely owe it to her. She’s been a big supporter and has held off pretty long.”

The PGA Tour’s 2019-20 season kicks off at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier on September 12 and Conners will be one of six Canadians with full PGA Tour status for next year including Hadwin and Nick Taylor, both of Abbotsford, B.C., Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., and Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ont.

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., and Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., will have partial status, while it is expected Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., will return from taking all last year off due to injury.

VANCOUVER – Chris Crislogo of Richmond, B.C., will play his first tournament as a professional at the Johnston Meier Insurance Agencies Vancouver Open from August 28 to September 1 at Fraserview Golf Club in Vancouver.

A member of the Team Canada National Amateur Squad for the past two years, the 23-year-old enjoyed a successful amateur career. He is a two-time winner of the South American Amateur, claiming the title in 2018 and 2019.

Crisologo captured the Gary Cowan Award as the low amateur at the 2018 RBC Canadian Open, finishing in a tie for 45th.

Crisologo also competed as a member of the Simon Fraser University golf team, winning individual titles at six tournaments between 2015 and 2018.

The Vancouver Open is part of the Vancouver Golf Tour. Canadian PGA TOUR professional Adam Hadwin has won the tournament three times, most recently in 2016.

OAKVILLE, Ont. – Golf Canada is pleased to announce the four athletes selected to represent Canada at the Astor Trophy competition, scheduled for Aug. 29 – Sept. 1 at Royal Colwood Golf Club in Victoria, B.C.

Canada’s team will include Mary Parsons of Delta, B.C., Noémie Paré of Victoriaville, Que., Emily Zhu of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Brooke Rivers of Brampton, Ont.

The Astor Trophy competition is held every four years between teams from Australia, Canada, Great Britain & Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa. Each country is represented by four female players and each country contests foursomes and singles match play in a round-robin format.

The athletes selected by Golf Canada for the Astor Trophy were determined based on an assessment of world rankings and head-to-head results among those with a declared intent to compete.

“We’re thrilled to be hosting this international championship at one of the finest courses Canada has to offer,” said Golf Canada tournament director Adam Helmer. “Royal Colwood is in fantastic shape and will prove to be an excellent challenge for some of most talented junior golfers from around the world.”

Royal Colwood Golf Club is a private golf club located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Designed by Arthur Vernon Macan in 1913, Royal Colwood is a traditional style parklands championship course set amongst 450 year old douglas firs and majestic garry oaks. One of a select few in the world, Royal Colwood received its Royal designation from King George V in 1931.

The 20-year-old Parsons recently competed at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, where she was part of Canada’s bronze-medal-winning mixed team. Parsons also finished fifth in the women’s competition in Lima. She is a junior at Indiana University, where this past spring she won her first collegiate event at the Lady Boilermaker. She was a semi-finalist this summer at the PNGA Women’s Amateur Championship. Parsons won the 2018 B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship and is a former member of Golf Canada’s National Junior Girls Squad.

Paré, 21, is heading into her senior year at Barry University in Miami Shores, Fla. Paré qualified for match play at the 2019 British Women’s Amateur and tied for second at the 2019 Quebec Women’s Amateur. She tied for 27th at the 2019 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at Red Deer Golf & Country Club.

Zhu, 15, is a member of Golf Canada’s National Junior Girls Squad. She finished third at the 2019 PGA of Canada Women’s Championship, placed 12th at the 2019 Women’s Porter Cup and was second at the 2019 Ontario Women’s Amateur. Zhu recently won the 2019 Canadian Junior Girls Championship at Lethbridge Country Club.

The 14-year-old Rivers finished eighth at the 2019 Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship and was runner-up in the 2019 Ontario Women’s Match Play. At time of selection, Rivers was the sixth highest ranked Canadian female on the World Amateur Golf Rankings.

Matt Wilson of Newmarket Ont., Golf Canada’s Next Generation Director and National Junior Girls Coach, will coach the Canadian team at the Astor Trophy competition.

The Astor Trophy has been contested every four years since the inaugural event in 1959. It began as the Commonwealth Trophy and the name was changed to the Astor Trophy in 2007 to allow Irish players to compete on a Great Britain & Ireland team.

Australia won the event when it was last contested in 2015 at the Grange Golf Club in southern Australia. Canada has won the Astor Trophy on two occasions, in 1987 and 1979. Canada last hosted the Astor Trophy in 1999 at Marine Drive Golf Club in Vancouver.

Past Canadian participants include Lorie Kane, Marlene Streit, Dawn Coe-Jones and A.J. Eathorne. Past international players include former world No. 1 Lydia Ko and Catriona Matthew, the captain of the 2019 European Solheim Cup team.

TORONTO, Ont. – The Canadian Society of Club Managers (CSCM) is pleased to announce and congratulate the recipients of CSCM’s 2019 Awards Program. The awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, October 6, 2019, following the opening ceremonies at the CSCM National Conference in London, Ontario.

Islington Golf Club, co-host of the 2020 and 2024 RBC Canadian Open, captured the Club of the Year (Large) award after an excellent record of strong golf, facility management, community involvement and leadership.

The 2019 award recipients are:

President’s Award
Greg Lundmark, CCM, CCE, The Glencoe Club, Calgary, AB

Honourary Life Membership Award
Keith Jolly, CCM, Vancouver Rowing Club, Vancouver, BC

Club Manager of the Year
Jason Meier, The Oakville Club, Oakville, ON

Club of the Year (Medium)
Southwood Golf & Country Club, Winnipeg, MB

Club of the Year (Large)
Islington Golf Club, Toronto, ON

Young Professional Award
Jihye Park, Marine Drive Golf Club, Vancouver, BC

Excellence in Teaching Award
Robert Foster, Fanshawe College, London, ON

In addition, the following members will be honoured for recently receiving their Certified Club Manager (CCM) designation:

• Jan Bloemraad, The Glencoe Club, Calgary, AB
• Paul Chambers, The Toronto Golf Club, Mississauga, ON
• Jana-Lyn Fairbairn, Riverside Country Club, Saskatoon, SK

And the following member will be recognized for recently achieving Honour Society status:

• Paul Morrell, CCM, Ontario Racquet Club, Mississauga, ON

The annual awards program honours members who have made a significant contribution to the Society and the profession of club management in Canada, supporting CSCM’s mission to offer quality education and networking opportunities. Annually, members are invited to nominate fellow peers in the industry. All nomination submissions are carefully reviewed by the Awards Committee and recipients are selected based on specific criteria.

Michael Hearse, CCM, Member of the CSCM National Board of Directors and Chair of the Awards Committee remarked, “We thank all those who participated this year and it is with great pleasure we congratulate those that were applauded by their peers to be outstanding contributors to not only the club management industry, but to the Society as well.”

Suzanne Godbehere, Chief Executive Officer of CSCM, said, “The announcement of the award recipients is always an exciting time for CSCM and its members. It is an opportunity to celebrate those who have made great achievements in the industry, but also highlight all those who have and continue to support each other in the industry. It really is a celebration of the CSCM network and family.”

Canadian golf journalist Adam Stanley catches up with James Clements, VP Strategic Planning & Transportation Services with Canadian Pacific, to discuss the CP Has Heart contributions celebrated at the CP Women’s Open.

Canadian golf journalist Adam Stanley catches up with Kyle Hayhoe and CP ambassador Lorie Kane to discuss overcoming congenital heart defects and the impact of CP Has Heart.

Click here for tickets.

At the CP Women’s Open, we’re reminded of the many reasons why it’s great to be an Audi owner.

AURORA, Ont. – Brooke Henderson was off to a rough start at the CP Women’s Open, struggling to read the swirling winds at Magna Golf Club.

She had started the day in a three-way tie for third, just three shots back of second-round leader Nicole Broch Larsen. But after bogeys on Nos. 4 and 6, it seemed like Henderson had played herself out of Canada’s national championship on Saturday and would not be able to defend her crown.

But that all changed with the eighth hole.

“I felt like I was playing decent golf, but it just wasn’t really going my way,” said the 21-year-old Henderson. “Then on the seventh green a little boy gave me a high five and then he continued that the rest of the round.

“He kind of cheered me up a little bit. I think I tried to get back to even on the front nine. Going to the eighth tee I was trying to just make two birdies, get it back to even, and then see if I could go really low on the back.”

Yes, she could.

Henderson fired three-straight birdies after that high five, shooting 9-under par on her last 10 holes. Her 7-under 65 round closed the gap to finish the day just two shots back of co-leaders Broch Larsen and world No. 1 Jin Young Ko.

It was a miraculous comeback after Henderson trailed Broch Larsen by as many as eight shots and had slid back into 20th on the leaderboard.

“I can’t really remember the last time I was in the 20s through nine holes,” said the native of Smiths Falls, Ont. “I think just taking into tomorrow, if I can try to keep this momentum and energy that I had on the last few holes, hopefully maybe hit it a little bit better off the tee, hit it a little closer, and hopefully my putter can bail me out.”

No. 12 was also a key hole for Henderson. After a precise layup got her near the pin she drained a 10-foot putt for an eagle on the 513-yard par 5.

“I was 1 under on the day at that point and I was feeling a lot better about myself than 2 over,” said Henderson. “Once I made that eagle it just gave me a lot of energy and birdied the next two holes, and then just kind of periodically coming in.”

Broch Larsen and Ko were in the final pairing for the day and were focused on their own duel, essentially playing a one-on-one match. Broch Larsen had her third straight 6-under 66 at the tournament and Ko has a 7-under 65 to put them both at 18 under overall, two shots ahead of Henderson.

Although both of them were zeroed in on their own performances, Broch Larsen said they both knew something was up in the group ahead of them, judging purely from crowd reactions.

“We could definitely hear those roars coming in on the back nine,” said Broch Larsen after handing in her scorecard. “Every time they went a little bit louder than normal I knew Brooke made a birdie.

“I don’t know what she’s at but I knew she had a rough start and she had a good back nine, I guess.”

Henderson was the first Canadian to win the CP Women’s Open in 45 years when she triumphed at Wascana Country Club in Regina last year. If Henderson’s victorious on Sunday, she’ll become only the third player in the tournament’s history to win back-to-back titles, joining Lydia Ko (2012, 2013) and Pat Bradley (1985, 1986).

She’s not going to get ahead of herself, though.

“I’m really far from that. It’s going to a long 18 holes,” said Henderson, who will be in the final group with Ko and Broch Larsen on Sunday. “I’m not even in the lead, so it doesn’t really look likely. At the same time, I feel like if I can make a lot birdies and kind of get the momentum my way, you never know what can happen.”

Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay, the other Canadian left in the field, shot a 1-under 71 to improve to 5-under overall.

Tanguay bogeyed the par-4 third hole before picking up birdies on two of her next three holes. She bogeyed the 10th but got the stroke back with a birdie on the 12th hole.