DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Rory McIlroy started the defense of his Dubai Desert Classic title with a bogey but battled back to post a 4-under 68 on Thursday, leaving him two shots off the lead.

McIlroy bogeyed two of the easiest holes on the course – the par-5 10th, which was his first hole, and the driveable par-4 second – but also had six birdies to put him close behind leader Alex Noren of Sweden.

“I thought I did well, considering the start and having some of the shots I hit throughout the round,” McIlroy said. “A 68 was probably a fair reflection of how I played. I don’t feel like I could have really gone any lower than that but at the same time, I gave myself enough chances to make some birdies.”

Ernie Els, the most successful player in the history of the tournament with three titles and eight other top-10 finishes, matched McIlroy’s 68. The four-time major champion hit 17 greens and putted well with his new grip.

Four players were tied at 5-under 67 – Sweden’s Peter Hanson, Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Australia’s Brett Rumford and South African Trevor Fisher Jr.

Henrik Stenson of Sweden, playing alongside McIlroy, opened with a 3-under 69.

The new changes in the course, where the fairways have been made firmer and grass has been shaved off the fringe of the greens, troubled McIlroy, who has never finished outside the top 10 in his last six starts at the Emirates Golf Club.

On McIlroy’s first hole, his second shot landed on the green and rolled off into the back bunker, from where he needed two shots to come out. Then, on the par-5 dogleg 18th, he hit a towering draw with his driver but the ball went through the fairway and into the water hazard. McIlroy then hit a great third shot from 198 yards and walked away with an unlikely birdie.

“All in all, a decent day, decent score,” he said. “I think with the way the weather conditions are, it’s made the golf course quite tricky out there. I don’t think I’ll ever hit as many bunker shots.”

KELOWNA, B.C. – The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada and GolfBC announced today a new official event for 2016, the GolfBC Championship, which will focus on making a positive charitable impact in the Kelowna area.

The inaugural event will take place June 6-12, 2016 at Gallagher’s Canyon Golf and Country Club in Kelowna. GolfBC, which owns and operates a collection of world-class courses throughout British Columbia and in Hawaii, will be the title sponsor as part of a four-year agreement.

“We’re thrilled to be adding a new event in the Okanagan Valley to our schedule, especially one that will be focused on charity and giving back to the community,” said Mackenzie Tour President Jeff Monday. “This event will provide a tremendous opportunity and platform for our players to achieve their goals of making the next step on the path to the PGA TOUR.”

Gallagher’s Canyon, a 6,802-yard Bill Robinson design considered to be one of the top courses in the Okanagan Valley, will host the event.

“GolfBC is very proud and excited to help bring such a prestigious event to the Okanagan. The GolfBC Championship will host some of the finest young golf talent and prepare them for the next step in their professional careers,” said Andy Hedley, Vice President of Operations for GolfBC, adding “We are very excited that this event will showcase Gallagher’s Canyon – one of GolfBC’s most distinctive and popular designs – as well as generate a significant contribution to one of our preferred charity beneficiaries, the BC Cancer Foundation.”

As with every Mackenzie Tour tournament, raising support for charity will be a key priority for the event. Last year saw charitable donations by Mackenzie Tour events increase by 60.5%, rising to a total of more than $1-million given back since 2013.

“The BC Cancer Foundation is honoured to be the benefitting charity of the Golf BC Championship,” said Lou Del Gobbo, Interim President & CEO, BC Cancer Foundation. “We know the funds from this tournament will go a long way in supporting the life-saving research taking place at the BC Cancer Agency, giving hope to over 26,000 British Columbians who will be diagnosed with cancer this year alone.”

VMC Sports & Entertainment Corp., which previously operated the SIGA Dakota Dunes Open for the past eight seasons on the Mackenzie Tour, will manage the event’s operations, with Hugh Vassos serving as Tournament Director.

“This is an exciting day for professional golf fans in the Okanagan, and our team is excited to manage this prestigious golf tournament and week-long golf festival. We look forward to engaging the local sponsors, volunteers, and the entire golf community in presenting what we believe will soon become one of the top stops on the Mackenzie Tour,” said Vassos.

The full 2016 Mackenzie Tour schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.

CALGARY – Team Alberta has been announced for the upcoming season. Twenty-six players from across the province will represent Alberta over the course of the season and will participate in a variety of provincial, national, and international events.

Returning to Team Alberta is Brendan McDougall, one of three players from last year’s team with a runner-up finish at the 2015 CN Future Links Western Championship. Landon Stellingwerff makes his return to Team Alberta after a T25 finish at the Glencoe Invitational in 2015. Logan Carver who finished T7 at the PGA Junior Masters in 2015, also makes his return to the team.

Several players from the 2015 Boy’s Development Team made the jump to Team Alberta in 2016. Those players include Max Sekulic, winner of the 2015 Nike Golf Junior Championship, Ethan Choi, 2015 Alberta Bantam Champion, and Michael Lavorato, who finished T7 at the PGA Junior Masters last year.

New to Alberta Golf’s high performance program is Chandler McDowell who represented Alberta at the Western Canada Summer Games in Wood Buffalo in 2015 where he placed third, earning a bronze medal in the individual competition. Chris Horton and Max Murchison are new players to the program. Their highlights include a T7 at the Alberta Junior Boys Championship and 23rd at the CN Future Links Western Championship.

Returning to Team Alberta on the girl’s side is Sharmaine Rapisura, who boasts a win at the 2015 McLennan Ross Tour Championship most recently. Several girls from the 2015 Development Team have been promoted to Team Alberta to join Rapisura. Kehler Koss, who finished runner up at the 2015 CN Future Links Western Championship, will be playing on the girl’s team. Annabelle Ackroyd and Jaden Baustad also join the team, with season highlights that include placing top ten in the 2015 Alberta Junior Girls Championship.

New junior girls to Alberta Golf’s high performance programs include Claire Emery, who finished 7th at the 2015 Alberta Junior Girls Championship, Lauren Koenig, who represented Alberta at the 2015 Western Canada Summer Games, Cassidy Laidlaw, who finished 15th at the 2015 Alberta Junior Girls Championship and Sydney Weber, who had a 15th place finish at the 2015 CN Future Links Western Championship.

For more information on the players, click here.

Team Alberta’s three provincial coaches will continue to lead the way in helping players reach their goals over the course of 2016 and beyond. Each player has the opportunity to spend time with their respective coach, planning and working on goals for the upcoming season, as well as the post-secondary transition. Randy Robb will provide guidance and experience to the program and Team Alberta Boys; Luke Workman will coach Team Alberta Girls; and John Deneer will coach the Boys Development Team.

“As we prepare for the first competitive events of the 2016 golf season, members of Team Alberta are working hard to improve their fitness levels and strengthen their fundamentals to help get off to a good start,” Randy Robb says. “I’m excited to help these young athletes reach their goals and prepare for college golf”.

“I am fortunate to be working with a group talented and hardworking young women on the Team Alberta Girls program. The players on the team all had a successful 2015 season, and they have been training hard over the winter months to surpass these results in 2016. With many new players joining Team Alberta for the 2016 season, the enthusiasm at our camps thus far has been outstanding.” Luke Workman explains. “I am looking forward to spring – and green grass – to see these players represent Alberta over the course of the summer”.

For more information on our provincial coaches, click here.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Bubba Watson took a big swing at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course – with his mouth, not his driver.

“I don’t like it,” Watson said Wednesday, a day before the start of the Waste Management Phoenix Open. “I’m not going to PC it. I don’t like it at all.”

The long-hitting Watson has played well on the course, tying for second the last two seasons.

“Obviously, I’m here because of my sponsors and everything,” Watson said. “I love coming here. It’s always great weather. Used to have a house here. It’s always beautiful coming here and playing here.”

He reiterated that he’s only playing the tournament out of loyalty to Phoenix-based Karsten Manufacturing, the maker of his Ping equipment, and sponsors Oakley and Stance Socks.

“I just mentioned why I’m here,” Watson said. “I’ve got three beautiful sponsors that love it here.”

Tom Weiskopf renovated the course in 2014, updating the layout he teamed with Jay Morrish to design.

“I didn’t see any reason to change it,” Watson said. “Again, they didn’t ask me. It’s just my own opinion. I didn’t see any reason to change it.

“But then you have 14, I think 490 (yards) uphill. (For) big hitters, it gets tight down there. No. 8, you’ve got the slope from right to left right in the bunkers, bunkers start at roughly 280, go to about 320. I don’t see that you need to tighten it up. So just to me it just seems like all they did is just tightened it up. Scores didn’t change. It just makes it goofier and tougher.”

The two-time Masters champion does like the par-3 16th, the tournament’s signature stadium hole.

“I think the hole is great,” Watson said. “It’s one time a year. If it was multiple times a year, it wouldn’t be fun. But to do what they have done to create what they have created, it’s a beautiful thing.”

He also praised the condition of the course.

“This is the best shape I have ever seen it,” Watson said. “The greens are running so quick right now. You’re going to make a lot of putts. That’s what I need to do.”

Phil Mickelson is playing for the third straight week after taking a long offseason break. The 45-year-old former Arizona State player missed the cut last week at Torrey Pines after tying for third in La Quinta. He won at TPC Scottsdale in 1996, 2005 and 2013.

“I love coming back here,” Mickelson said. “It’s a special place for me. I lived here for 12 years. The people here have been so nice to me and my family. … I love competing in this tournament.”

Winless in 48 events since the 2013 British Open, he’s working with swing coach Andrew Getson after splitting with Butch Harmon in early November.

“It’s been a long time since my swing is on plane and it’s on plane now,” Mickelson said. “It feels really good, feels really easy. … I just need to be a little bit patient with it, but it’s coming.”

Rickie Fowler is the top-ranked player in the field, at No. 4 a spot ahead of Watson. Fowler missed the cut at Torrey Pines after winning two weeks ago in Abu Dhabi.

“It’s always a week I look forward to,” Fowler said. “Last week was a little hiccup along the way, but looking forward to picking back up where we left off in Abu Dhabi.”

Brooks Koepka won last year for his first PGA Tour title. He beat Watson, Hideki Matsuyama and Ryan Palmer by a stroke.

“Obviously, got a lot of positive memories,” Koepka said. “I have a lot of positive thoughts going into this week. I feel good about where my game is at. I don’t think I have ever felt better.”

Brandt Snedeker is coming off a victory at Torrey Pines. He closed with a 3-under 69 in wind and rain Sunday and ended up beating K.J. Choi by a stroke Monday.

“I’m obviously playing some good golf,” Snedeker said. “Fatigue is something I worry about after a week like last week. So, yesterday, I took almost completely off. I feel better today, feel more well-rested. Played well in the pro-am, so excited about teeing it up tomorrow.”

A frost delay is expected Thursday morning, with a forecast high of 63 degrees. It is supposed to warm up a couple of degrees each day.

OCALA, Fla. – Top-ranked Lydia Ko shot a 3-under 69 on Wednesday in the Coates Golf Championship in her first round of the season, leaving her four strokes behind leader Ha Na Jang.

The 18-year-old Ko closed with a birdie on the par-5 18th, her fourth birdie on the back nine on the Golden Ocala course that features some tributes to holes at Augusta National, St. Andrews and others.

Ko tied for second last year in Ocala to reach No. 1 in the world ranking, and went on to win five times, and sweep the points-based player of the year award, Race to the CME Globe and the money title.

“First nine holes were pretty rusty, but almost felt like our whole group as we made the turn, we started making birdies,” Ko said. “On 10 it was my first birdie of the season, so it was great.

“Obviously, starting to get back into playing competitively and think more target-oriented. It’s definitely different than hitting the ball on the range. It’s a pretty solid start. I’m happy with the way I finished today and definitely the back nine, hitting a few wedges close.”

She is learning how to drive – a car.

“I got my learner’s permit, so whoever is around Orlando or around ChampionsGate, I would recommend not being on the road when I am,” Ko said. “Everybody said it’s the same as a cart, but it’s nothing like a cart. It goes so much faster.”

Jang made an 18-foot birdie putt on 18 for a bogey-free 65 and a three-stroke lead over six players. Winless on the LPGA Tour, the South Korean player also tied for second last year behind Na Yeon Choi.

“It’s perfect, no bogeys,” Jang said. “I just keep going just simple, simple, simple.”

Jang had the first hole-in-one on a par 4 in LPGA Tour history last week in the season-opening event in the Bahamas. She used a 3-wood for the albatross on the 218-yard hole.

“I got my new dog, named it Albatross,” Jang said. “I have three dogs – Birdie, Eagle and Albatross. I need one more dog, Hole-in-one.”

U.S. Women’s Open champion In Gee Chun had a 68 in her first start as an LPGA Tour member. Sei Young Kim, Jodi Ewart Shadoff, Kim Kaufman, Candie Kung and Kelly Tan also shot 68.

Lexi Thompson was in the group at 69. She had only three pars on the first 14 holes, making seven birdies and four bogeys.

“It’s definitely challenging,” Thompson said. “You have to keep it in the fairway with it being tree-lined. The rough is only about an inch deep, but you’re going to get some gnarly lies and some fliers, so you’ve got to keep it in the fairway.”

U.S. Solheim Cup captain Juli Inkster, at 55 the oldest player in the field, also had a 69.

Michelle Wie birdied three of the last six holes for a 70. She missed the cut last week in the Bahamas after a bee stung her on the palm of her right hand.

Brooke Henderson also carded a 70. The 18-year-old leads the Canadian contingent. Maude-Aimee LeBlanc had a 72, while Alena Sharp had a 75.

Hyo Joo Kim, the Bahamas winner last week, opened with a 71.

Stacy Lewis had a 74, making a double bogey on par-4 ninth after driving left into the trees. She tied for second in the Bahamas for her ninth runner-up finish in a 40-event victory drought that dates to June 2014. The 11-time tour winner has 22 career second-place finishes.

Lewis played alongside Suzann Pettersen and Alison Lee, the two central figures in a Solheim Cup controversy last season in Germany.

In September, Pettersen infuriated the Americans by insisting that Lee be penalized for picking up her ball when she thought her short second putt had been conceded in a fourballs match. The U.S. then staged the biggest comeback in event history, winning 8 1/2 points in the 12 singles matches to take the cup.

They were friendly in their first pairing since the incident, with Pettersen stopping to offer assistance when Lee had a nosebleed on the first tee.

“I’m fine,” Lee said about the nosebleed. “It happens all the time. It’s happened at previous tournaments. It’s just annoying.”

Lee opened with a 72, and Pettersen shot 73.

Nearly 15 years ago to the month, Canadian Ralph Dunning was in Hawaii with his wife watching friends race in an Ironman triathlon, the most grueling of all physical challenges. A longtime designer and manufacturer of clothing for cyclists, Dunning told his wife he was going to start a golf company, and bring the fabric technology he knew from cycling to a golf-specific product.

Fast-forward to today, and Dunning Golf is in 100 pro shops across the country, another 1,300 in the U.S., and just experienced 25 percent growth year-over-year, almost an unheard-of feat in today’s unpredictable golf climate.

And it all started in Dunning’s basement.

“I went to all my mills and factories and I wanted to build a complete line,” reflects Dunning, fresh off a successful trip to Orlando, FL for the PGA of America’s annual Merchandise Show.

Dunning laughs when he is asked to recall his first meeting with a big Canadian golf company in 2001.

“I sent Golf Town a catalogue I made on my printer at home,” he says. “I was working out of my basement with no real inventory, just a concept.”

Dunning explains he didn’t know who Stephen Bebis (the then-CEO and founder of Golf Town) was, but he knew Golf Town was “a pretty fun place to go shopping.”

According to Dunning, Bebis told him the Dunning concept was “going to change the golf industry” and gave him a huge order.

“I had to figure out how to build this company,” he explains. “It was a grass-roots company in my basement.”

Despite Bebis’ vote of confidence, there were a lot of skeptics of Dunning’s tech-fabric idea. However, a handful of ‘visionary’ people put Dunning in their pro shops, and the name started to grow.

Ralph Dunning

The Dunning brand got a boost in 2002 thanks to Mike Weir, who started to wear the Dunning outerwear by choice – he was not on a contract to do so. There was an iconic picture on the cover of The Globe & Mail featuring Weir wearing a Dunning rain suit during the waterlogged Masters that year.

“(Weir) was the first guy to really embrace what we were doing,” explains Dunning. “It helped get the word out across the country.”

At the 2005 PGA Merchandise Show, Dunning says his company was the first to have a full system designed for golfers, and the elements golfers face while playing.

“We had a point of difference,” he says. “People were starting to understand the fabric, and we became known for having the better fabric.”

A decade later, although Weir no longer wears the brand, Dunning counts David Hearn as one of their key PGA Tour ambassadors along with Charles Howell III, Brendan Steele, Russell Knox, and European Nicolas Colsaerts.

“Signing David was a really big deal for me, because when he first turned pro we got a phone call asking if we wanted to sign him and we couldn’t. We couldn’t afford it,” says Dunning. “When the opportunity came up this time, I really fought to have him be part of our roster.

“We couldn’t have hand-picked a guy who is better for the brand than David. He just fits all the checks for Dunning.”

The brand, according to Dunning, has stayed true to its understated design principles as it has evolved. However, it hasn’t ignored trends in menswear either. Dunning introduced a sportswear line this year that was influenced by its PGA Tour ambassadors and their on-the-road lifestyle.

“The sportswear side, we’re seeing all the pro shops want to carry that now because, if you think about it from a business perspective, how do we grow our industry? How many golf shirts do you really need?” explains Dunning. “You want to wear brands that are a reflection of your lifestyle, and that’s where the whole sportswear theme came in.”

As the brand continues to find new success, Dunning is cognizant that the global growth of his company will be a key factor moving forward. He says that the biggest takeaway from the recent PGA Merchandise Show was the number of accounts from Europe, Australia, the Middle East, and Japan were keen to learn more.

“All of a sudden, Dunning is becoming a global brand that is known for its quality and its premium position as this clean-styled brand,” Dunning says. “As Canadians, we’re a hybrid between what goes on in the U.K. and what happens in America, so that’s why there is this global thing going on.”

Global expansion, North American growth, and a roster chalk-full of PGA Tour stars – a far cry from an idea in a basement.

Visit www.dunninggolf.com to learn more.

Ralph Dunning, Jonathon Wong, Adam Stanley

SAN DIEGO – Jim Furyk was No. 7 in the world, No. 9 in the FedEx Cup standings and already assured a spot on the Presidents Cup team when he tied for fourth in the Deutsche Bank Championship for his seventh top 10 of the year.

That was Sept. 6, and that was the last tournament he finished.

Furyk withdrew midway through the opening round at Conway Farms a week later with a sore wrist, which has caused more problems than he imagined. He sat out the rest of the year to let it heal, and then missed Kapalua to give it more time.

The next solution is surgery.

Furyk didn’t say when the surgery was planned – he was at a New York Knicks game Sunday night in Madison Square Garden – but that he would be out three months.

“While I am disappointed that the wrist has not healed sufficiently for me to return to play, I am confident that the surgery at this point is the best course of action, and will get me back in the shortest possible time,” he said in a statement. “This has been frustrating for me to this point, but I am focusing on an aggressive rehabilitation program and having a strong year once I am sufficiently healed.”

Three months would mean missing the Masters for the first time since 2004, when he missed three months from surgery on his left wrist to repair torn cartilage.

Even though his world ranking average has dropped from 7.21 to 4.99, the Team RBC member has slipped only three spots to No. 10.

***This story was originally published in February of 2016

If you have ever played Turnberry or Royal Troon on Scotland’s Ayrshire coast and observed the uninhabited island of Ailsa Craig looming far out in the Firth of Clyde, you have witnessed a close connection between golf and curling. Those courses have played host to Open Championships and, for centuries, Ailsa Craig’s unique granite has been quarried to create most of the world’s curling stones.

But that connection is just geographical and coincidental.

The two sports have a much closer and multi-faceted relationship here in Canada. Thousands of recreational players enjoy both in their respective seasons. Some Canadians are not only among the best curlers in the world, but pretty good golfers as well.

The complementary seasonality of golf and curling in this country is obvious, says Bob Weeks, TSN’s expert on both sports, but the parallels don’t stop there. “If you’re a golfer in Canada and you don’t go south, curling is a great way to pass the winter. The cultures of both are very similar, very social. You can go and play with your pals and have a drink after in a club setting.”

If anyone understands the symmetry between golf and curling, it is Weeks. Thanks to a father who loved both sports, he has participated in both for most of his 55 years, not only as a player but as a journalist. “Right now, I am a 15 handicap from the blue tees at Weston Golf Club [his longtime home club in Toronto] and, to put it in golf terms, about a 7 in curling. I was always a better curler than golfer. I would say I was scratch at one point.” In fact, he competed in six provincial championships as well as on the pro circuit for a number of years.

Last year, he ended his 30-year tenure as the editorial director of SCOREGolf and his 25-year involvement with the Ontario Curling Report to take on his new responsibilities at TSN. He has written books on both sports.

One of those books was Hurry Hard: The Russ Howard Story. Howard may be the most recognizable name in Canadian curling, both as a champion and broadcaster, but few may know he was the head professional at Brooklea Golf and Country Club in Midland, Ont., for several years before moving to New Brunswick.

“Our dad owned the driving range across the road from Brooklea, so we spent literally days there picking balls, cleaning balls, hitting balls,” recalls his younger brother, Glenn, who has remained in the Midland area. “Golf was our first love and then Dad got us into curling.”

Good decision, Dad. Russ won two Briers, two World Curling Championships and a gold medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics as part of Brad Gushue’s rink. (“Gushue was a really good junior golfer and once attended a Golf Canada training camp with Brad Fritsch,” Weeks notes.) Glenn has won four World Curling Championships, four Briers and 15 Ontario provincial championships, including a record eight straight from 2006 to 2013.

Having been exposed to both sports for a lifetime, Glenn sees many similarities. The technical aspect, for one. “Dad was a stickler for technique, whether it was golf or curling. He said if you had the right fundamentals, you could always trust them when you were under pressure.

“And, of course, you have so much time to think between shots in both. They’re not reactionary sports like basketball or hockey or baseball. That’s what can get in your way in both—that six inches between your ears—and that’s what separates a good player from a great player.”

Another common theme is that, like Weeks and the Howards, just about every Canadian curling golfer—or golfing curler—says they were introduced to the sports by family.

Mike Harris is both an Olympic silver medallist in curling and a PGA of Canada member who has been the head pro at notable clubs including North Halton and Donalda in Ontario and Banff Springs in Alberta. Now 48, he has been playing both sports since he was nine, thanks to encouraging parents.

Currently unattached to a golf club, he is focusing on what he readily admits is his “first love”—curling—not only in competitions, but as a coach for the Scottish Curling Federation and as CBC’s curling analyst.

Perhaps because of his deep involvement over many years, Harris understands the challenges facing both sports. “There are undeniable demographic similarities in golf and curling. The question is how do you make them younger, more inclusive, more diverse?”

Weeks is blunt: “There’s a stigma that they are top-heavy with older white males. They have to push to become younger, widen their reach, look to the future.”

Morgan Court, consultant for the PGA of Canada, plays lead on Allison Flaxey’s rink from Listowel, Ont. A curler since age nine (introduced to the game by family, of course), she came to golf in her 20s.

She is well positioned to understand that changing family structures and dynamics, combined with more ethnic diversity, means those traditional family connections aren’t providing enough new golfers or curlers to revitalize the sports.

“Absolutely, there could be synergies between the two sports. Both have taken steps to get into schools, although golf is much farther ahead at this point. The PGA of Canada and Golf Canada are really pushing the new Long Term Player Development 2.0 program while curling has somewhat embraced it. And curling clubs don’t really have pros or instructors the way golf clubs do. So there is still lots of work to do.”

Harris and Weeks cite the addition in 1998 of curling as an Olympic sport as helping to elevate the sport’s profile in Canada and internationally. They surmise the same might happen to golf as it returns to the Olympics this summer for the first time since 1904.

Historically, the participation and popularity of curling and golf have ebbed and flowed according to socio-economic, cultural and other factors. In contrast to those earlier episodes, however, their respective governing bodies are developing strategies to help keep both viable and flourishing long-term.

One encouraging sign, a nod to a time-honoured sporting tradition, can be seen in some golf clubhouses and curling clubs these days. An Ontario-based company has begun marketing Triple Bogey and Hurry Hard brands of beer to those respective outlets.

Now that’s synergy.

Another end…

Several curlers, other than those mentioned above, are or have been involved in golf at a significant level. Here are a few examples.

According to Bob Weeks, “Alberta’s Kevin Martin skipped his team to a gold medal at the 2010 Olympics, and is part owner of a golf course in Palm Springs, Calif. It actually hosted a Canadian Tour event. Martin’s team had a sponsorship from Callaway for a while. Mark Dacey of Nova Scotia, a Brier winner, was the PGA of Canada pro at Fox Harb’r for a few years.”

Wayne Middaugh of Victoria Harbour, Ont., is a three-time world curling champion, a PGA of Canada member and the general manager at Port Carling Golf and Country Club. His wife, Sherry, is a past Ontario curling champion.

Greg Balsdon, who was on the 2013 Canadian Mixed Curling Championship winning team, is the curling manager and associate golf professional at Glendale Golf and Country Club in Hamilton.

When Russ Howard won his first provincial championship—the 1976 Ontario Colts for curlers with fewer than seven years of experience—his team included fellow Midland, Ont., resident Jim Clark. Clark, a Golf Canada volunteer for almost 30 years now, has been the RBC Canadian Open’s Tournament Chair a record eight times and chaired golf’s organizing committee at the 2015 Pan/Parapan Am Games.

Two-time world and Brier champ John Kawaja, born in Chandler, Que., spent three decades working for TaylorMade-adidas in Canada and the U.S. until he left his position as executive vice-president in 2015.

SAN DIEGO – Team RBC ambassador Brandt Snedeker wound up winning the Farmers Insurance Open on Monday without hitting a shot.

Snedeker closed with a 3-under 69 in nasty wind and rain on Sunday. There was some question whether his lead would hold when the final round at Torrey Pines was suspended because of the conditions.

Turns out the wind was just as bad – perhaps even worse considering the change in direction – and no one could top his score of 6-under 282.

K.J. Choi missed a 30-foot birdie putt on the 18th that would have forced a playoff. He closed with a 76 and finished one shot behind. Jimmy Walker made bogey on four of the eight holes he played Monday and wound up three shots behind.

Adam Hadwin finish as the top Canadian. He was 9-over and tied for 63rd. Graham DeLaet tied for 69th at 12-over.

LONDON, Ont. – London Ontario Golf has named local golf legend and Canadian golf pioneer Bob Martin recipient of its 2016 Heart Award.

Martin, 76, of London is the sixth annual Heart Award winner. The local golf legend will be honoured June 14 at a ceremony at Greenhills Golf Club.

The Heart Award recognizes members of the London and area golf industry who unselfishly give back to the game of golf. Each June (Stroke Awareness Month), the Heart Award recipient, as selected by the editors of LondonOntarioGolf.com, is honoured within the categories of golf professionals/instructors, golf mentors, golf course owners/operators, golf course architects/designers and members of the media. Previous winners of the London Ontario Golf Heart Award include Mike Olizarevitch (2011), Fred Kern (2012), Patty Howard (2013), Mike Weir (2014) and East Park (2015).

“For 55 years, Martin’s name has been synonymous with golf in London,” said LondonOntarioGolf.com editor Jeffrey Reed. “He was an industry pioneer, opening Canada’s second off-course golf retail store in 1963 in a tiny William Street basement shop. He has provided thousands of junior golfers with free golf clubs over the years. And he has unselfishly helped raise funds for and awareness of numerous charities during his storied career. We are honoured to celebrate Martin’s achievements with the 2016 Heart Award.”

“When I see my name alongside such names as Mike Weir and Patty Howard, I feel very proud,” said Martin. “I have always had the support of my family and friends, along with loyal fellow workers, customers and clients. I have been truly blessed to be surrounded with such positivity, and it is my pleasure to help grow the game of golf.”

Today, as owner/operator of Bob’s Range on Wonderland Road South in London, Martin is as familiar to local golfers as was his popular radio jingle – “Bob Martin Means Golf!” – during his lengthy retail career. From 1957-60 he was an assistant golf professional at Sunningdale Golf and Country Club, then left to join the new East Park Golf Gardens as its managing golf pro, a title he held from 1963 through 1977.

During the winter months, Martin would sell golf equipment within the cozy confines of 609 William Street. Chuck Brown’s Golf Shop in Ottawa was the first off-course golf retailer in Canada. In 1978, Martin opened his off-course shop year-round. He operated Bob Martin’s Golf, and later Bob Martin’s Golf and Fashions, until he sold his business in 2002 – three years before his current range opened.

In between, Martin did business with the Nevada Bob’s franchises, was part-owner of Oakville SportDomes, and operated the Wally World golf range with the Spivak family from 1999-2003. From the late-1990s to 2013, he teamed up with senior long drive competitor Ron Lampman of St. Thomas as part of the Golf Unleashed clinic/demonstration and long-drive show. Today, in addition to supporting golfers of all ages – including junior golfers, through his summer golf camps and continued philanthropic efforts – he joins London golf instructor Derek Highly of Canadian Fade at golf clinics and demonstrations.

Today, Martin and his wife, Kathy, are proudly supported by their daughter, Jennifer, and her husband, Mike Stoner, parents of Bob’s grandson, Griffin, who no doubt will soon have a golf club in his hands courtesy of his grandfather.

“Martin’s unending dedication to growing the game of golf in London has, for more than half a century, been unparalleled,” added Reed. “No one else’s name is tied so closely to golf in London as is Martin’s. And his passion for the game burns as brightly today as it did 55 years ago. We’re thrilled to honour him with the 2016 London Ontario Golf Heart Award.”

February is Heart Month. The Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada is the Official Charity of London Ontario Golf.

The Heart Award will be on display at the London Golf Show and Sale March 12-13 at the Progress Building, Western Fair District. Visit the London Ontario Golf booth.