Carlsbad, Calif. (March 29, 2016) – Cobra Golf has introduced its KING Utility Iron, the brand’s first adjustable hollow body utility iron that offers multiple loft settings in a single club. The KING Utility is available in a 3-iron, featuring a large sole with a hollow head, and is packed with COBRA Golf’s game-changing metalwood technologies including MyFly8 that allows golfers to seamlessly adjust the loft to best fit their games.

The KING Utility Iron provides the feel and performance of an iron, combined with the forgiveness and slightly higher flight of a hybrid. The club’s 17-4 hollow body design and a new 455ss L-Cup Face, combined with its 67 gram tungsten weight strategically positioned low and back in the head, deliver optimal Center of Gravity (CG) and high MOI. The new L-Cup face design produces increased speed and higher launch, the key performance benefits golfers look for in a utility iron.

The true game-changer in the KING Utility 3-iron is the use of MyFly8 Technology in an iron. A first for COBRA and a first for golf, this proprietary technology affords golfers an ability to fine-tune their designed launch conditions from a 3 iron at 21^o down to a 2 iron at 18^o.

“This club is perfect for the golfer whose last iron stops at 4 and needs a 3i, or the golfer whose longest iron stops at 3i and needs  2i distance somewhere throughout the round. The KING Utility iron allows a player to perfectly gap his long iron game and offers three draw settings to fine tune trajectory,” said Tom Olsavsky, Vice President of R&D, COBRA Golf. “We designed this Utility iron with Rickie Fowler in mind – he currently uses this iron at courses he deems a match for this style of play.”

The KING Utility iron (MSRP: $259.99 steel; $299.99 graphite), available in RH only, will be available May 1, 2016. It comes equipped with a Steel KBS C-Taper Lite shaft in X-stiff or Stiff flexes; or a Graphite Aldila Rogue Black 85g in X-stiff, Stiff or Regular flexes. Loft range: 18^o, 18.5^o, 18.5 ^o draw, 19.5^o, 19.5^o draw^, 21.5 ^o, 21.5 ^o draw and 22 ^o.

For more information on the entire KING family of products, visit cobragolf.ca.

The successes of reality TV shows like Pawn Stars, Storage Wars, and Canadian Pickers could be attributed to the lure of great fortune. People often find exhilaration in possibly having – or finding – that single needle in a haystack that might be worth a great deal.

The thought of dusty old clubs which haven’t been touched in years generally doesn’t excite too many people, but some see value in age and potential with the passage of time.

Fortunately for those of us who do, the Golf Historical Society of Canada (GHSC) will be hosting its annual “Antique Golf” Trade Fair & Auction on Sunday, April 3 at the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum – and they want to check out YOUR antique golf collectibles.

Appraisers and collectors will be on hand to let you know if you truly have a hidden ‘treasure’.  The knowledgeable members of the GHSC will identify any of your golf collectibles for FREE, including wooden-shafted golf clubs, balls, tees, porcelain collective ware, books, photographs, trophies, etc…

There is no need to be a member of the GHSC to attend.  Admission and parking are free.

Doors open at 10 a.m. and the auction (which all are welcome to participate in) begins at 2 p.m. The cut-off for auction items is 1:30 p.m. and those wishing to bid on items must register by no later than 1:45 p.m.

The Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum is located on the grounds of Glen Abbey Golf Club at:
1333 Dorval Dr.
Oakville, Ont.
L6M 4X7

AUSTIN, Texas – Rory McIlroy had to go 20 holes. Jason Day only played six. Both advanced Friday to the round of 16 in the Dell Match Play that is loaded with Americans and a Texan who feels right at home.

Jordan Spieth got off to another quick start and sailed into the round of 16 with a 3-and-2 victory over Justin Thomas. The No. 1 player in the world also is the top crowd pleaser at Austin Country Club, where he used to qualify for matches during his brief time wearing the burnt orange of the Texas Longhorns.

The rest of the so-called “Big Three” joined him, even if Day and McIlroy reached the knockout stage in a different manner.

Day was all square in his match when Paul Casey withdrew because of a stomach illness that has been bothering him the last two days. Day was likely to advance, anyway, but the short day at least allowed him extra rest for his back and for the weekend ahead.

Day has played only 31 holes in three days.

“If I can make it all the way through Sunday, that means I’m playing 72 holes on the weekend, which is a lot of golf,” Day said.

McIlroy was in one of the four winner-take-all matches between undefeated players in their groups, and it was struggle from the start against Kevin Na. McIlroy, the defending champion, didn’t take the lead until the 15th hole, gave it right back and both missed birdie putt on 18 to halve their match.

It ended on No. 2, the second extra hole, when Na hooked his tee shot into a hazard and McIlroy holed a 6-foot putt for the win. He now has 10 straight matches dating to his victory last year at Harding Park in San Francisco.

“I was dying after 10 holes, but I knew I’d played the back nine well,” McIlroy said. “It is a sign of relief. It’s nice to get to the weekend.”

What felt like a marathon over three days now turns into a two-day race to the finish, with two sessions on Saturday and Sunday of single elimination. The round of 16 features 11 Americans, the most since there were 12 out of 16 in 2002.

Phil Mickelson also had a short day and was headed home. Patrick Reed holed out for an eagle on No. 10 to go 7 up, and Mickelson did well to get to the 14th hole before Reed closed him out, 5 and 4. Reed has never trailed in any match all week.

McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Chris Kirk and Byeong-Hun An all had to go extra holes.

Kirk and Branden Grace had an easy time winning their matches to finish 2-1 in their group. In a peculiar decision this year, players had to wait until everyone was on the course before the playoff. They were the first match and had to wait nearly three hours to start the playoff. It didn’t last long, as Grace went from a fairway bunker, over the green, and made bogey.

An, who won the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth last year, lost a chance to win his group when Rickie Fowler birdied the last hole to halve the match. That sent An into a playoff with Scott Piercy, who won the 18th hole to beat Jason Dufner. An hit his approach to 4 feet on the first playoff hole to advance.

Johnson beat Jimmy Walker for the second straight year, then had to birdie the opening hole to win a playoff over Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand.

Motoring right along was Zach Johnson, who has been the most dominant player this week in Austin. Johnson finally played the last three holes – but only for practice. He had an easy time against Shane Lowry, who was eliminated regardless of the outcome, and beat him, 4 and 3.

Johnson has played only 42 holes in three matches, all ending at the 15th or earlier.

“My scorecard, or whatever you want to call it, speaks for itself,” Johnson said. “With the exception of the first hole yesterday, I’ve never been down in a match. I’m not going to take this for granted. It’s not going to be easy no matter who my opponent is tomorrow and the rest of the weekend, hopefully. But I’m seeing my shots, my execution is there. I think I’m picking out good targets and I’ve obviously putting pretty well.”

So is Louis Oosthuizen, who has not lost this week and joined McIlroy as the only players to reach the round of 16 two straight years in the round-robin format. Next up for Oosthuizen is Spieth, and he knows what awaits.

“I think it’s going to be against 10-15,000 people,” Oosthuizen said.

In other groups:

• Bill Haas and Adam Scott didn’t halve a hole after No. 7. Haas won the last two holes with birdie to advance with a 1-up victory.
• Brandt Snedeker rallied from an early deficit to beat Charl Schwartzel and win his group.
• Brooks Koepka lost his match, but won his group when Billy Horschel failed to beat Jaco Van Zyl.
• Rafa Cabrera-Bello of Spain halved his match to advance.
• Ryan Moore beat Lee Westwood to win his group.

RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico – Rafael Campos held onto the lead in front of his home fans in the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open, shooting a 1-under 71 in windy conditions Friday.

The 27-year-old Campos had a 9-under 135 total at Coco Beach for a one-stroke lead. One of two players to play in all nine editions of the event, he opened with a 64 on Thursday.

“It’s great just having so much support, so many people coming out here and following us,” Campos said. “I love seeing the little kids, I love seeing the parents and all that. They’re the future of golf.”

He’s the first Puerto Rican to lead a PGA Tour event since the 1979 Tallahassee Open, when Chi Chi Rodriguez was tied for the 54-hole lead and went on to win his eighth and final title.

“It really does feel great to be in this position,” Campos said. “I’m really relaxed. Ironically enough, I really feel very relaxed out there. Not really thinking of my swing, I’m not really thinking of the problems out there, I’m actually enjoying it. I like being in this position, I really do.”

George McNeill, the 2012 winner, was second after a 71.

“The wind’s blowing, it’s tricky,” McNeill said. “The greens aren’t very fast and this afternoon they didn’t putt as good as they did yesterday morning, obviously, with a lot of traffic on them.”

Ian Poulter, playing the event for the first time after failing to qualify for the Match Play tournament in Texas, was tied for third at 7 under after a 66 _ the best round of the day.

“The yardage books nowadays are good enough, you don’t need to be here for days and days and days trying to figure out the golf course,” Poulter said. “It’s right in front of you. It’s windy, you can see the bunkers, you can see the hazards.”

The Englishman birdied the first three holes and the last three in his bogey-free round.

“I had to stay patient,” Poulter said. “Opening up with three birdies first thing this morning was nice. It was easy to get a little bit frustrated yesterday not making putts I would have expected to hole. … To close with three birdies there was good and it kind of moves me up the board quite nicely.”

Defending champion Alex Cejka (71) also was 7 under along with Steve Marino (67), Bronson Burgoon (68), Kyle Reifers (70), Mark Hubbard (70) and Will MacKenzie (71).

Graham DeLaet (69) of Weyburn, Sask., was the top Canadian, four shots back of Compos and tied for 15th place.

“It was a little bit trickier today,” Cejka said. “It was a little bit more wind, it was tough to play. I really hit some good shots. … I’m hanging in there, just want to play the next couple days like I did the first two days.”

CARLSBAD, Calif. – Jenny Shin took the lead Friday in the LPGA Tour’s Kia Classic, a stroke ahead of top-ranked Lydia Ko and Brittany Lang.

Shin birdied five of her first eight holes and had a 7-under 65 to reach 10-under 134 at Aviara in the final event before the major ANA Inspiration next week in Rancho Mirage. The 23-year-old South Korean player is winless on the LPGA Tour.

Ko shot a 67, and Lang had a 68. The 18-year-old Ko was second Sunday in Phoenix in the Founders Cup.

Second-ranked Inbee Park and fellow South Korean player Hyo Joo Kim were 8 under. Park had a 69, and Kim shot a 66.

Canadian Brooke Henderson shot up the leaderboard and is tied for 29th after shooting a 70. The Smiths Falls, Ont., native is 1 under for the tournament.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp and Maude-Aimee Leblanc, of Sherbrooke, Que., missed the cut.

Birmingham, Alabama’s Sam Love built a two-stroke lead midway through the fourth round at Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada qualifying school before play was suspended due to darkness at Reunion Resort and Spa’s Jack Nicklaus Signature Course.

The 24-year old, who made 19 starts on the Web.com Tour last season, was two under for his first nine holes thanks to two birdies and no bogeys, reaching 10-under overall and leading by two over Seth Reeves. The University of Alabama at Birmingham grad said he’ll return in the morning looking for medalist honours and exempt status on the Mackenzie Tour for 2016.

“Any of the Q-Schools that I’ve played, I always figure I’m going to have a better chance of making it through if I’m trying to win than if I’m trying to qualify. If you’re just trying to qualify, you get a little tentative and hit shots scared,” said Love.

Toronto’s Sebastian Szirmak was the low Canadian with nine holes to go, sitting in a tie for sixth at 4-under par for the tournament.

“I’m ready to finish strong tomorrow. Hopefully in the morning there will be some good scoring conditions and some birdies to grab before ending a long week,” said Szirmak.

Round four will resume Saturday morning with players in position at 8:00 a.m.

AUSTIN, Texas – Jordan Spieth had another stress-free day in the Dell Match Play, avoiding some of the drama the 18th hole provided Thursday.

So did Jason Day, whose back felt strong enough to drive the first green at 381 yards with a helping wind.

Fifteen matches went the distance at Austin Country Club, and there was no shortage of surprises. Daniel Berger never finished against Phil Mickelson when his club hit a rock structure on the way down. Justin Rose and Rickie Fowler escaped with half-points.

It all set the stage for Friday when all but 16 players from the 64-man field leave town. Already, 22 players have been mathematically eliminated.

Spieth again built a big lead and lost only one hole in a 5-and-4 victory over Victor Dubuisson of France. He has played 30 holes in his two victories, and needs only to halve his match Friday against Justin Thomas to reach the round of 16.

“When you’re 3 up and you’re striking the ball well on a windy day with a difficult golf course, it’s difficult to come from behind,” Spieth said.

Day ended any suspense about his back injury – first by showing up, then by hitting his opening drive to 12 feet on the 381-yard first hole. He was headed to a 5-and-3 victory over Thongchai Jaidee, which put him in the same position as Spieth.

“If I didn’t play today, I was going to pull out of the tournament totally,” Day said. “I wasn’t going to come back on Friday. I may as well get the rest and recovery and try to get ready for Augusta. I was playing against Thongchai. I felt like if I went there and played some golf, I could get him.

“Fortunately for me, I played some good golf,” he said. “There wasn’t one shot where I felt it today, which was good.”

Rory McIlroy also got through in a wild match with Smylie Kaufman in which they didn’t halve a hole until No. 7. McIlroy won on the 17th hole.

For others, the 18th hole was pivotal.

Mickelson was all square on the last hole when Berger drove left next to a rock structure that forms the 10th tee box. Berger struck the rocks before his club reached the ball. He dropped the club, grabbed his left wrist and looked over to Mickelson to concede the match.

“That’s happened to me before, not the injury, but swinging over the top of it or misjudging where the obstacle is,” Mickelson said. “It happens. So I was just watching if the ball was struck and it wasn’t. He hit the rock on the downswing. And hopefully his wrist is OK.”

Mickelson moves on to a winner-take-all match against Patrick Reed. Berger was among those eliminated and contemplated whether to play Friday, especially with his first Masters appearance only two weeks away.

Sergio Garcia was poised to win his second straight match until Ryan Moore knocked in a 25-foot putt from behind the 17th green to square the match, and then hit wedge to a foot on the final hole for a 1-up victory.

“Match play is just crazy,” Moore said. “You just never know what’s going to happen.”

Patton Kizzire, one of three PGA Tour rookies in the 64-man field, was 1 down to Bubba Watson playing the 18th hole when he hit his approach to 5 feet and made it to halve the match. If he missed, he would have been eliminated. Now he can win the group if he beats Emiliano Grillo on Friday and J.B. Holmes beats Watson.

Scott Piercy stayed in the match with Fowler with a remarkable up-and-down from birdie by bouncing a putt across the cart path and rough and onto the green, and winning the 17th when Fowler hit into a hazard. Piercy missed a 10-foot birdie putt on the final hole that would have eliminated Fowler.

Now, there’s a mathematical chance for a four-way playoff on Friday to determine who wins the group.

Spieth knows the course better than anyone from his three semesters at Texas _ the Longhorns used to stage qualifying on the course. He also faces more attention as the local favourite, not to mention the No. 1 player in the world.

So far, he has played some of his best golf since he won at Kapalua to start the year.

“My swing has been coming around,” he said. “I’ve been working hard on it for the last month or so. Really started showing signs of that work this week.”

RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico – Rafael Compos shot an 8-under 64 in front of his home fans Thursday to take the first-round lead in the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open.

The 27-year-old Compos had eight birdies in a bogey-free round at Coco Beach. He made four straight birdies on Nos. 9-12, added another on the par-5 15th and parred the final three holes.

George McNeill, the 2012 winner, was a stroke back. He had six birdies in a seven-hole stretch and closed with a bogey on the par-4 ninth.

Defending champion Alex Cejka was at 66 along with Aaron Baddeley, Frank Lickliter and Will MacKenzie. Baddeley eagled the 15th and closed with two birdies.

Former Team Canada member Adam Svensson had a 67. The 5-under par round featured six birdies and a bogey.

Svensson, the medalist at Web.com Tour Q-School last December, will be making the fifth PGA TOUR start of his career at the Puerto Rico Open at Coco Beach. The Surrey, B.C., competed in the RBC Canadian Open in 2013 and 2014 as an amateur, posted a T34 at the event as a professional in 2015, and missed the cut at The RSM Classic last fall.

English stars Luke Donald and Ian Poulter are in playing after failing to qualify for the Match Play event in Texas. Donald opened with a 69, and Poulter shot 71.

In other Canadian action, Weyburn. Sask., native Graham DeLaet and Abbotsford, B.C.’s Nick Taylor had matching 2-under 70s. Wil Bateman of Edmonton had a 2-over 74.

UXBRIDGE, Ont. – To help build excitement for the first day of the 2016 golf season, the Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) is encouraging golfers and non-golfers alike to dress like a golfer on April 15, 2016.

The GAO is encouraging everyone to wear their best golf attire and to take photos and tag the GAO on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook or by using the hashtag #DressLikeAGolfer. The best dressed male and female will win a complete golf outfit courtesy of adidas golf Canada. Winners will be selected by the GAO and announced April 17, 2016.

Also, watch for members of the GAO who will be at busy intersections throughout downtown Toronto, during the morning rush hour, wearing their golf gear and helping to search for the best-dressed golfers.

Remember, on April 15 dress in your finest golf attire, snap a picture, tag the GAO on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and help kick off the 2016 golf season for your chance to win great golf clothing from adidas golf Canada.

Ever imagine what it might be like to play a round with Canada’s three top male golfers? If so, imagine no more.

The latest commercial from Shaw, titled The Showdown, follows Graham DeLaet, David Hearn and Adam Hadwin as they play a friendly match. The trio use their slyest tricks to try and gain an advantage. Check it out below.