Kissimmee, Fla. – Georgia’s Seth Reeves maintained a two-stroke lead midway through the third round at Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada qualifying school before play was suspended due to dangerous weather in the area at Reunion Resort and Spa’s Jack Nicklaus Signature Course.

The 25-year old, a former NCAA All-American at Georgia Tech, was 1-over par on his first nine holes to lead by two over Trevor Cone and Sam Love when play was suspended at 6:24 p.m. with lightning in the area.

Reeves led by two strokes over Cone entering the day after shooting rounds of 66-70 to open his quest to earn a Mackenzie Tour card, with the medalist this week earning fully exempt status for the 2016 season.

Prior to play being called for the day, Toronto native Sebastian Szirmak shot a 4-under 68 to sit 3-under total for 54 holes, tied for fifth spot and representing the low Canadian in the field.

“I stayed very patient and played great on the front, even though the score didn’t reflect it,” said Szirmak, who now calls Reunion his home course. The 26-year old shot 5-under 31 on his back nine to get into red figures for the tournament. “It takes great golf to get under par and it can all disappear in a moment. My mindset has been to stay patient and play the right shot knowing there will be a nine or 18 hole stretch of birdies”

Round three will resume Friday morning with players in position at 8 a.m. Round four will begin at 7:30 a.m. as scheduled, with competitors playing in the same groupings as round three.

CARLSBAD, Calif. – Inbee Park shot a 5-under 67 on Thursday afternoon for a share of the lead in the LPGA Tour’s Kia Classic, the final event before the major ANA Inspiration next week in Rancho Mirage.

“I just want to have all the game physically and mentally,” Park said. “You want your game to be ready for next week. It’s just the last test before the majors, just trying to test out some shots and try to get some confidence.”

The second-ranked South Korean player withdrew because of a back pain after a first-round 80 in the opener in the Bahamas and has struggled to regain that form that carried her to two major titles and five victories last year. She tied for 30th in Thailand and Singapore and missed the cut last week in the Founders Cup in Phoenix.

“Everything went really well out there, Park said. “Especially, I dropped some good putts today. I was able to shoot a low round and it’s always good to have a good round like this before going into a major.”

Morning starters Brittany Lang, Jodi Ewart Shadoff and Ai Miyazato matched Park at 67, and top-ranked Lydia Ko was another stroke back.

Park played the back nine at Aviara in 4 under, making her final birdie on the par-5 17th. She hit 11 of 14 fairways in regulation, 14 of 18 greens, and had 27 putts.

“The greens weren’t as bumpy as what I thought it would be,” Park said. “The greens are actually in much better shape than in previous years. So, I was quite comfortable on the greens today. Obviously, getting some confidence on the greens was huge.”

Lang holed out from the fairway for eagle on the par-4 first hole and had five birdies and two bogeys.

“I saw it hit, I’m like, ‘OK, it’s going to hit soft, good,” Lang said about the eagle. “And then I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, that looks good. … That always makes you pretty comfortable.”

Lang opened with a 63 last week in Phoenix and ended up tying for ninth.

“I played great last week,” Lang said. “I’ve been hitting it really well. These greens can definitely be tough, the speed. They are really slow, really quick. They can be difficult. So you’ve got to be a little cautious.”

Miyazato eagled the par-5 10th in her bogey-free round. Shadoff had seven birdies and two bogeys.

Ko birdied five of her final nine holes in her morning round. The 18-year-old New Zealander was second in Phoenix.

“I was striking the ball really well, even in my front nine, which was the back nine,” Ko said. “But I just couldn’t get any putts rolling. It was good to see a couple drop on my back nine.

“The weather, it’s perfect. Obviously, in the morning, it’s a little cooler, so you’ve got a couple layers on, but this is as perfect as it gets. Carlsbad is so beautiful.”

Jane Park and Mi Jung Hur joined Ko at 68.

Michelle Wie shot a 70 after missing the cut in Phoenix. She had six birdies and four bogeys.

Ha Na Jang opened with a 71. She won this year in Florida and Singapore.

Phoenix winner Sei Young Kim parred the final 13 holes in a 72. On Sunday, she matched Annika Sorenstam’s LPGA Tour scoring record of 27 under, closing with a 10-under 62 for a five-stroke victory.

Fourth-ranked Stacy Lewis also shot 72. She has a 44-event victory drought that dates to June 2014.

Canadian Brooke Henderson, of Smiths Falls, Ont., is tied for 56th after an opening round 73. Fellow Canadian Maude-Aimee Leblanc, of Sherbrooke, Que., was 3 over while Hamilton’s Alena Sharp shot a 77.

Defending champion Cristie Kerr had a 73, and Lexi Thompson struggled to a 77. The third-ranked Thompson won last month in Thailand.

Earlier this week I attended a city council meeting in my hometown of Brantford, Ont., to show my support for a community-driven campaign to save Arrowdale Municipal Golf Course, a nine-hole facility that is one of two municipal golf courses managed by the city of Brantford.

The campaign to save Arrowdale from closure ran over the past four months and I was proud to submit a letter in support of the Arrowdale campaign. As I shared in my letter (which you can read below), municipal golf courses and practice facilities are important entry points to the game. Not every golfer is a member of a club—in fact 84 per cent of all golfers are public players.

When it came down to the final decision, council voted not only to keep the facility open, but also to invest in both Arrowdale as well as the 18-hole Northridge Municipal Golf Course as part of the city’s 10-year capital forecast. Both facilities meant a lot to me personally growing up as I spent time at both when I began to take up the game as a youngster.

View from the tee at hole No. 9 at Arrowdale

A report on the council’s decision from the Brantford Expositor can be found here.

Canada is blessed to have 2,346 facilities across Canada, however, the role that municipal golf courses as well as practice ranges and short course play in welcoming both new and avid enthusiasts cannot be overstated. With nine-hole golf courses accounting for 37 per cent of Canada’s total supply of golf facilities, we need more Arrowdales, not less when it comes to overall health of our sport. At the same time, it’s important to remind those community leaders about golf’s economic, health, social, environmental, charitable and employment benefits.

The proposed closure of Arrowdale is not uncommon in communities across Canada as municipalities evaluate their viability of their recreational facilities. Every city council is weighing the cost/benefit of their golf operation and I know many factors come into play when councilors evaluate the viability of a municipal golf facility for their respective community.

I want to congratulate the members of the ‘Save Arrowdale Action Committee’ who put their full passion into the public campaign to save the golf course. It’s great to see their tremendous efforts pay off.

March 4, 2016

To the Members of Brantford City Council,

This letter is to share my concern with the potential closure of Arrowdale Municipal Golf Course.  Affordable and accessible facilities including practice ranges and municipal golf courses play an important role in introducing golf to enthusiasts in communities across Canada. Closing Arrowdale would be a big loss to the community and to the sport of golf.

As CEO of Golf Canada, I am proud to have been introduced to golf in my hometown of Brantford, Ont., I grew up playing at Northridge Municipal Golf Course and Learning Centre as a junior and also hold fond memories of time spent at Arrowdale. I went on to work in the back shop at Northridge as a summer student and then joined Brantford Golf and Country where I am still a proud member today. I know how important Arrowdale is to the Brantford golf community and that passion is evident in those working hard to keep the facility open.

Representing the National Sport Federation for golf, I recognize the important impact golf has on the livability of communities like Brantford. Golf as a sport is a good for our children, instilling etiquette and values such as integrity, honest, fair play and the spirit of camaraderie. Consider as well the health benefits of burning 850 calories walking nine holes as well as muscle endurance, blood circulation, flexibility and mental alertness.

Golf also has a significant economic impact in communities across Canada generating more than $14.3 billion in economic impact and employing more than 300,000 jobs, nearly 40% of which are summer students. Golf courses also steward essential greenspace in the community in addition to hosting more than 37,000 charity events that raise more than $533 million annually to support important causes.

The role of the municipal golf course, practice range or entry level facility cannot be understated—these facilities have been the conduit for close to 5.7 million golfers playing close to 60 million rounds annually in making golf the most participated sport in this country. Golf is such a great family sport that teaches all the right values for success in life.

Among more than 820 golf facilities province-wide in Ontario, less than 30% are nine-holes. Courses like Arrowdale are critical to introducing people to the game and we need MORE of them in Canada, not less. Brantford is a passionate golf community and I hope that Arrowdale can continue to engage public golfers and be the gateway for new enthusiasts into the game. 

Sincerely,

Scott Simmons
CEO
Golf Canada

AUSTIN, Texas – Jason Day overcame an early deficit to win his opening match Wednesday in the Dell Match Play.

Now he has to overcome a bad back.

In the latest in a series of injuries for Day, he was reaching for his back on the 15th hole and then winced and grabbed it after a tee shot on the 16th hole. He took a knee on the green, where he closed out Graeme McDowell, 3 and 2.

Day headed straight for the fitness trailer for treatment.

The severity of the injury was unclear. Day left without speaking to reporters, and his agent later sent a statement that he tweaked his back, had some work done on it, was pleased with winning and is getting prepared to play Thursday.”

Day told the Australian Associated Press before getting treatment, “It’s really hard to play with searing pain in both sides of your lower back. Just my back has seized up and I need to get inside right away for treatment and see what’s wrong.”

Top-seeded Jordan Spieth, the crowd favorite at Austin Country Club who helped Texas to a national title in 2012, had the largest crowd and delivered a solid performance. Spieth was 4 up through seven holes, and outlasted Jamie Donaldson, 3 and 2.

“I felt like everybody was on our side today,” Spieth said. “I almost felt like a home Ryder Cup match. And Jamie, I’m not sure what he would say about it. … Everyone was very respectful, but every single step I took, somebody was yelling at you, ‘Hook ‘Em Horns’ or ‘Go Jordan, we’re rooting for you.’ Which is really, really cool.”

Rory McIlroy had three close calls on his way to victory last year at Harding Park. He started out with one in Texas. McIlroy never led until he won the 18th hole with a par. Thorbjorn Olesen missed a 3-foot putt on the 16th, and with the match all square on the 18th, the Dane shanked a chip to hand McIlroy the match.

“Match play is all about just getting through,” McIlroy said.

Rickie Fowler, the No. 5 seed, failed to do that. He rallied from 3 down on the back nine to square his match on the 15th hole, only for Jason Dufner to win the next two holes with birdies to beat him on the 17th hole.

Dustin Johnson (No. 8) lost to Robert Streb, and Hideki Matsuyama (No. 12) lost to Rafa Cabrera-Bello. Adam Scott (No. 6), who has lost seven straight matches in this event, had to settle for a halve with Thomas Pieters of Belgium. Players and caddies wore black ribbons in their caps to honor the victim of Tuesday’s bombings in Brussels.

In the round-robin format, all of the players still have a chance to advance from their groups and reach the knockout stage. A year ago, only three players who lost in the first round managed to reach the round of 16. It might be easier this year because there are halves during group play.

Bubba Watson (No. 4) halved his match with PGA Tour rookie Patton Kizzire.

Phil Mickelson, playing this World Golf Championship for the first time in five years, ran off three birdies in a four-hole stretch on the front nine to build a big lead and Matthew Fitzpatrick couldn’t catch up. The match ended on the 14th hole. Matt Kuchar had the shortest match, a 6-and-5 victory over Anirban Lahiri, who flew to Texas from a runner-up finish in India.

Most of the drama on a windy day involved Day, who was coming off a victory Sunday in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Day’s career has been filled with injuries. He withdrew after one round in the 2012 Masters with an ankle injury. A wrist and thumb injury kept him out for much of the spring in 2014 after he won the Match Play. He suffered vertigo symptoms at the U.S. Open last year. He took three months off at the end of last year to be with his wife when she gave birth to their second child and to concentrate on his health.

The back pain grabbed when the match was in hand.

Day lost two straight holes early in the match, including the par-3 third when he came up well short of the green and into a hazard. But he kept smashing tee shots and converting them into birdies, ending the back nine with two birdies for a 1-up lead. McDowell found the water on the 11th, and Day went 3 up through 13.

Lacking on a warm, blustery day were the number of great shots typically seen in match play. Part of that was Austin Country Club, unknown to just about everyone except for Spieth and Dufner, whose coach lives in Austin.

“I think everybody is kind of feeling out how it’s going to be this week,” Dufner said.

Suwanee, Georgia’s Seth Reeves carded a 2-under par 70 on Wednesday at Reunion Resort and Spa’s Jack Nicklaus Signature Course to extend his lead at Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada qualifying school.

The 25-year old followed up an opening round 66 with five birdies against three bogeys to reach 8-under total, leading by two shots over Concord, North Carolina’s Trevor Cone through two rounds.

“After going pretty low with a good round yesterday, following it up with another under par score today is pretty solid. I made a few mental mistakes, but that’s golf and overall I did everything just as well as yesterday.”

A former NCAA All-American at Georgia Tech, Reeves said he entered Mackenzie Tour Q-School as part of his journey to reach the PGA TOUR and join former Yellow Jackets and close friends Chesson Hadley and Cameron Tringale.

“I’d rather enjoy the journey of getting there than getting stressed out about not being there yet,” who faced off against the likes of Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Daniel Berger over the course of his collegiate career. “I’ve learned to not really be jealous and just be excited for them, and know that I’m going to get there eventually and it’s going to be a blast.”

Sebastian Szirmak was the low Canadian thru 36-holes. The Toronto native is tied for 16th at 1-over.

Canadian golf has been deeply saddened by the passing of Craig Marseilles, who succumbed to cancer Sunday, March 20th.

Marseilles, who was born in 1957, has been associated with The National Golf Club in Woodbridge, Ont., since 1985. He won the Club Championship in 1986, ’87, and ’89. In 1990, he turned professional and until recently represented The National across the globe as a tour professional.

He won many titles on many tours and nearly earned full status on the PGA and Champions Tours. He gained respect and recognition on the Canadian Tour (now Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada) by competing in Canadian Opens and winning various events throughout his career.

His gentlemanly demeanor, playing ability and kindness were exemplified at all times, both on and off the golf course. Marseilles was one of those rare individuals whose kindness did not affect his competitiveness; nor his competitiveness his kindness.

“Craig was a tough competitor who knew his strengths and played to them,” said Mike Weir. But more importantly he epitomized what golf is about… play hard, and win or lose, always be humble.”

A memorial service will take place Thursday, March 24th at 2 p.m. at Marshall Funeral Home – 10366 Yonge Street, Richmond Hill – reception to follow.

There’s little doubt that Daryl MacLean picked a sweet spot to blossom as a golf professional when he settled in at Cherry Hill Club.

The 33-year-old PGA of Ontario member enjoyed his first taste of cottage club life in 2007 when he arrived at the Niagara area golf club as a teaching professional and has since developed firm roots with members and their children.

MacLean’s dedication to the private club that services a membership that is 75 per cent American and his contagious passion for the game has paid off as the winner of both the PGA of Ontario and PGA of Canada awards as the country’s Class “A” Professional of the Year for 2015.

“I’m still finding it hard to believe that I have been recognized in this way,” says the Burlington, Ont., native. “When you work hard all summer at a job that you love with a terrific membership and top notch team in the golf shop it doesn’t really seem like work, so to receive these honors from the PGA of Ontario and the PGA of Canada is surprising and humbling.”

Daryl didn’t play his first round of golf until he was 17-year-old when he teed it up on a summer’s afternoon with his father at Deerfield Golf Club in Oakville. Soon after he picked up a job in the backshop at Burlington Golf and Country Club and there was no turning back. He bought a junior membership for the City of Hamilton courses at Chedoke Civic Golf Course and King’s Forest Golf Club where he played every summer day and won the junior club championship in 2001.

At the age of 21, Daryl turned professional while attending Brock University where he went the unusual route of earning a Bachelor of Business Administration in 2005 rather than applying to a Professional Golf Management program. MacLean turned pro in 2004 and earned his PGA of Canada Class “A” designation in 2010.

He worked as an assistant professional at Legends on the Niagara, for the City of Hamilton courses, and Burlington Golf and Country Club before taking on a full-time associate position at Cherry Hill in May of 2012.

Founded in 1922 by several Buffalo businessmen, Cherry Hill Club and its Walter J. Travis design, is unique in that its membership remains 75 per cent American.

The majority of the 300 members and their families live in the Buffalo area and cottages on nearby Lake Erie, so the cottage course remains busy from Memorial Day to Labour Day.

It’s also very much a family club and along with running nine and 18-hole ladies leagues and men’s night, Daryl oversees a summer junior program on Tuesdays from 7 am to 12 pm, where the only ones allowed out on the course and practice area are the 100 or so juniors who attend.

“It’s a lot of fun, long days. I do it for the love of the game and the great people who you get to meet along the way,” says MacLean, who lives five minutes from the course in Ridgeway from April to October and lives with his family back in Burlington during the off-season. “I really feel that I have a passion for the game that is second to none and I try to bring that attitude to the golf course each and every day.” His usual work day starts at 5:45 am and goes until dark and he usually drops by the club on his one day off a week to make sure everything is running smoothly.

In managing daily golf operations MacLean works with all other departments to ensure events run smoothly. Over the past three years he has played a key role in enhancing the member and guest experience at the club that has resulted in a growth in member participation with increases in professional shop sales, rounds played, guest revenue and cart revenue. Men’s night went from 15 people in 2013 to just over 60 in 2015 under MacLean’s direction.

MacLean also implemented the return of the caddy program at Cherry Hill after being absent for 10-plus years by reaching out to other area golf professionals and local high school coaches within the community to provide the opportunity to caddy for golf-enthusiastic students. Other highlights include developing a competitive junior golf team to play interclub matches against other private clubs in the region and he has been a strong supporter of the Niagara Junior Golf Tour, understanding that juniors are the future of golf.

Kissimmee, Fla. – Georgia’s Seth Reeves fired a 6-under par 66 on Tuesday at Reunion Resort and Spa’s Jack Nicklaus Signature Course to take the round one lead at Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada qualifying school.

The 25-year old, a former NCAA All-American at Georgia Tech, carded eight birdies against just two bogeys to lead by three over Ted Smith, Bobby Wyatt and Sam Love through two rounds.

“Q-School is a marathon as guys say, so to get off to a good start and know I can shoot this number out here helps a lot,” said Reeves. “Even if things get a little rocky, I’ll have that in my head now and I know that I can make birdies out here. My goal is to just be pretty chill and see what happens.”

The long-hitting lefthander made birdie on three of the four par-5s at Reunion and took advantage of his length off the tee by giving himself birdie opportunities where other players scrambled for pars.

“I just was pretty relaxed starting out today. I drove the ball well and I hit it fairly long, so to be able to get some drivers in my hand and let ‘em loose and drive it well gave me the opportunity to have some shorter irons into holes, and I took advantage,” said Reeves.

Ottawa’s Andrew Jensen opened with a 1-over 73 and was tied for low Canadian at T24 with Toronto’s Sebastian Szirmak.

“It’s massively important to play the way I did, knowing that bogeys aren’t terrible and attitude is everything,” said Jensen, a Bell Let’s Talk Ambassador. “You really need to make keeping double bogeys off the card a priority, and when you do make birdies it’s a big help. There aren’t a lot of gimme birdies out there. Even starting bogey-bogey today, I didn’t panic out there and knew that you need to be a tactician a bit around the golf course.”

There will be a first for Canadian golf in 2016. For the first time ever, two Canadian clubs will play host to U.S. Amateur championship qualifiers.

Marine Drive Golf Club in Vancouver will host a qualifier for the men on July 18, while Brampton Golf Club in Brampton, Ont., will host a qualifier for the women on June 27.

“Golf Canada has been working on several initiatives with the USGA to strengthen our partnership and these qualifiers are the beginning of what we hope to be larger collaborations,” says Mary Beth McKenna, manager of rules and competitions for Golf Canada. “With Canadian golfers experiencing more and more success on the professional and amateur level, it was likely a natural fit for the USGA to expand these qualifiers into Canada.”

Brampton Golf Club

At Brampton, Head Professional Emerson Mahoney says the club is “very excited” to host the qualifier and is “looking forward to having the best women amateurs in the area vying for a spot in the very prestigious event.”

Built in 1963, the Robbie Robinson layout also hosted the 2014 Ontario Women’s Amateur. And unlike hosting a weeklong event and coordinating course availability with members, the qualifier is only a one-day event.

“The club has been very supportive of the idea,” Mahoney continues. “The management is very excited to showcase the golf course, and it’s an opportunity that’s good for golf overall, which is something our membership is all about.”

Meanwhile, at Marine Drive, the longtime director of golf Tim Tait told the Vancouver Province that he was contacted and asked if the club would be interested in hosting a sectional qualifier in Canada for the U.S. Amateur, and of course he said yes.

“Actually, I said yes and then I went to my board and they said yes. It happened quite quickly,” he tells the newspaper.

Marine Drive has long been a hotbed for Canadian golf greatness, as a number of Canadian Golf Hall of Famers like Richard Zokol and Stan Leonard have been involved with the club for a number of years.

According to McKenna, this year is hopefully just the start of a long-standing relationship between the USGA and Golf Canada in terms of qualifiers for their historic championships.

“Golf Canada is excited to offer the opportunity for Canadian players to compete at home to earn their way into the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur,” says McKenna.

The U.S. Amateur will take place from Aug. 15-21 at Oakland Hills Golf Club in Michigan, while the U.S. Women’s Amateur goes Aug. 1-7 at Rolling Green Golf Club in Pennsylvania.

In 1988, the Cherry Hill Club in Ridgeway, Ont., hosted a qualifier for the U.S. Amateur qualifier.

For more information on USGA championships, click here.