KENT, Ohio– Kent State Director of Golf/Head Men’s Golf Coach Herb Page has announced the addition of Jon Mills to his coaching staff.  Mills, a Canadian professional golfer and a former Golden Flash, will serve as Associate Head Coach of the the men’s golf team.

Mills was a member of the Web.Com Tour from 2002-2015 and was on the PGA Tour from 2006-2008.   Mills claimed his first professional win on the Canadian Tour (now Mackenzie Tour- PGA TOUR Canada) in 2003 en route to becoming the leading money-winner on the Tour that year.  Mills also captured two titles on the Web.Com Tour, including the 2005 Canadian PGA Championship and the 2007 Boise Open.  He also qualified for three US Opens.

“We are honored to have a person of Jon Mills’ character and integrity come back to his alma mater after experiencing success at the highest level while playing on the PGA Tour,” said Page.  “It’s phenomenal for our student-athletes, and they are thrilled to have someone of his caliber to work with them every single day. We are very fortunate to have him here to pass on his knowledge and expertise in the game of golf to current and future student-athletes.”

Mills had an exceptional career competing as a Golden Flash under Page’s tutelage.  He was a two-time All-American as well as the only Kent State golfer to earn First Team All-American honors.  Mills was an All-MAC performer each of his four years and was also the MAC Freshman of the Year in 1998.  Mills was the medalist at the 2000 NCAA Central Regional Championship, a Kent State individual’s best-ever finish at the regional.

“It’s truly a privilege to be able to come back to my alma mater and help coach the sport I love,” said Mills.  “I am looking forward to working with the team and making them the best student-athletes they can be.”

Mills also holds the record for having the second-best finish by a Kent State golfer at the NCAA Championships, placing sixth in 2001.  In that same year, he earned MAC Championship medalist honors.  Mills was a member of four consecutive MAC Championships teams (1998-2002) and led Kent State to an NCAA Regional title in 2001.

DOHA, Qatar – Paul Lawrie earned a two-shot lead at a windy Doha Golf Club on Friday to close in on an unprecedented third Qatar Masters title.

The overnight leader started the third round with 13 straight pars before making his first birdie on the 14th hole, then picked up another shot on the par-5 18th to finish at 2-under-par 70.

He was on top of the leaderboard at 13 under, two ahead of Branden Grace, who had his chance to make history: The first player to successfully defend the title.

“Conditions were tough, but to go around there and not have a bogey …,” Lawrie said. “It is a little bit frustrating for me. I hit a lot of good putts that didn’t go in.”

The 47-year-old Lawrie hasn’t won on the European Tour since 2012, the same year he won in Doha for the second time.

At 11 under overall with South Africa’s Branden Grace (68) was Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen (69).

Grace finished his bogey-free round with three successive birdies.

“Patience was the name of the game. It was a brutal day out there,” Grace said. “The wind was blowing and the greens were tricky. I pretty much got the most out of my round today. So 4 under was a great score.”

Olesen, winner of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship last year, showed good touch in a 69 that featured one bogey on the fifth hole.

“To be honest, I played great down the last nine holes. Gave myself so many chances,” Olesen said.

Sergio Garcia made a 50-foot putt for an eagle on the 18th hole to console himself after a poor round of 2-over 74. He was seven shots off the pace.

SAN DIEGO – Scott Brown birdied his last hole for a 30 on the front nine, a 6-under 66 and a share of the lead Thursday in the Farmers Insurance Open.

Only it felt much better for Brown. He played on the tough South Course at Torrey Pines, which was 2 1/2 strokes harder than the North Course where Andrew Loupe shot his 66 in the opening round.

Phil Mickelson salvaged a rough start when he made double bogey on the second hole, the second-easiest par 4 on the South. But he stayed patient, made six birdies and wound up with a 69.

Jason Day, who missed the pro-am with the flu, had a 72 on the North Course. Rickie Fowler, who won last week in Abu Dhabi, had a 73 on the North Course.

Adam Hadwin topped the Canadian contingent after a 1-under 71, while Graham DeLaet was a shot back at even-par thanks to a 72. Nick Taylor was 4-over. All three Canadians played the North Course Thursday.

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Michelle Wie was stung by a bee Thursday in the season-opening Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic, and second-ranked Inbee Park withdrew because of back pain after the second-worst round of her LPGA Tour career.

Wie was stung on the palm of her right hand on the 16th hole, her seventh of the day at the windy Ocean Club. She finished with a 3-over 76 to fall eight strokes behind first-round leaders Paula Creamer, Charley Hull, Alison Lee, Ashlan Ramsey, Catriona Matthew, Mika Miyazato and Haru Nomura.

“I was waiting to hit my tee shot and I felt something sting and it hurt really, really bad and I knew it was a bee,” Wie said. “I brushed it away and the stinger was still in there. We were trying to find a tweezer and out of all the people, our security guy had tweezers on him, so I got it out.”

She bogeyed three of the first five holes on her back nine.

“It just kind of felt so swollen it was kind of hard to grip the club. I was hitting the ball so well on the front nine and just definitely had a couple loose ones coming in making the turn. You can kind of feel the venom kind of spread. But the last couple holes, it’s feeling better.”

She struggled with her putting.

“I only missed two greens,” Wie said. “I just putted horribly.”

Park shot an 80, playing her final four holes in 5 over with a double bogey on the par-5 15th and three bogeys. She will sit out the Coates Golf Championship next week in Florida, and hopes to return late next month in the Honda LPGA Thailand.

“I’ve always had a little lower back problem and some weeks it just gets bit worse and today happened to be one of those days,” Park said. “Hopefully, in Thailand I’ll be in really good shape.”

Creamer played a late three-hole stretch in 4 under, making an eagle on the par-4 eighth.

“I’ll definitely take it,” Creamer said. “This golf course, it’s a great track. It really does play well. The wind makes it very difficult, but these greens, they’re challenging. The biggest thing is get it as close as you can from the fairways and see what you can do.”

Lee finished with a bogey on the par-4 ninth after playing the previous three holes in 4 under with an eagle on the par-5 seventh. She is still a student at UCLA.

“I’m taking four classes right now,” Lee said. “Each week, I think, I counted to about 13 hours of class, so it’s not too bad. I have friends in each class that can give me notes.”

The 46-year-old Matthew also eagled No. 7.

“You would much rather get off to a good start than a bad start,” Matthew said. “I think this course is tough because there’s a lot of crosswinds, which makes it difficult.”

Miyazato had only 10 putts in a first-nine 6-under 31.

“Very excited because if green in regulation, I make it, make it, make it,” Miyazato said.

The Japanese player had an interesting answer when asked if she did anything exciting in the offseason.

“Too much drink,” Miyazato said.

Her drink of choice?

“Whiskey,” Miyazato said. “Only in the offseason.”

Hull had a bogey-free round.

“It’s quite quiet this week,” Hull said. “You can really focus and get your head down and just get back out on tour.”

Jennifer Johnson and Min Seo Kwak were a stroke back at 69.

Defending champion Sei Young Kim opened with a 71, and 2014 winner Jessica Korda had a 72. Third-ranked Stacy Lewis shot 73, No. 4 Lexi Thompson 74, and No. 11 Christie Kerr 77.

Canada’s Brooke Henderson carded a 2-under 71 in her opening-round of 2016. The 18-year-old Smiths Falls, Ont., native had three birdies and a single bogey on the day.

“It was a good round today,” said Henderson. “I missed a lot of opportunities which I wish I would have capitalized on, but at the same time I missed a couple greens and was able to get up and down. It was just kind of up and down. And I would have like to have finished a little further under par. But it’s a good start and get another good round in tomorrow and see what happens.”

TORONTO — The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) held its Annual General Meeting January 23, at Weston Golf & Country Club in Toronto. At the AGM, the 2016 Board of Directors was announced along with President and Vice President.

Returning in 2016 as President is Chris Osborne (Mississaugua G&CC) who becomes just the second president to serve a second term, the first being Past President Jim King (Westmount G&CC). Vice President for 2016 will be John Gallinger (Meadowbrook G&CC).

“It is an honour returning as GAO President for 2016,” said Osborne. “There are a number of important initiatives the association is involved with for the upcoming year including: our grassroots Barrie Initiative, Strategic Plan launch, continued work with Golf Canada on a new membership model and the World Junior Girls Championship to name a few.”

Returning to the Board of Directors in 2016 are: Kent Trainor (GAO Public Player), Ivy Steinberg (Granite GC), Peter Zakarow (Beacon Hall GC), Carol-Ann Goering (Toronto GC), Anthony Dunn (The Marshes), Mark Hayes (Rattlesnake Point) and OVGA Representative Tom Hossfeld.

The GAO welcomes three new members to the Board in 2016: Howard Atkinson (Toronto GC), Tim Cain (Glen Abbey GC) and Jason Harris (Orr Lake GC).

Also, three board members will be leaving after serving their terms.  The outgoing Board members are Alan Trivett (Glencarin GC), John Turner (GAO Public Player) and Jim King, who remains as Past President but is a non-voting Board member.

“I am pleased to welcome new board members Tim Cain, Howard Atkinson and Jason Harris while thanking departing members Jim King, John Turner and Alan Trivett for their dedication and friendship. Executive Director Mike Kelly and his staff have a clear mandate and I look forward to supporting them in these efforts. Sincere gratitude goes out to our volunteers, partners, athletes and participants, without them the GAO would not exist,” added Osborne.

DOHA, Qatar – Paul Lawrie benefited from a putting tip off a friend in shooting a 6-under 66 at the Qatar Masters, giving the former British Open champion a one-shot lead after the second round on Thursday.

The 47-year-old Lawrie followed up a first-round 67 to move to 11-under par, a stroke clear of Nicolas Colsaerts (68).

Lawrie missed the cut in Abu Dhabi last week and was given some putting advice from fellow Scottish player Marc Warren, who said Lawrie’s stroke was too long and slow.

“I’ve been working on it the last couple of days and certainly feels as though I’ve got it,” said Lawrie, who rolled in seven birdies on Thursday and has 13 in all this week as he bids to win the event for a third time.

Joint first-round leaders Louis Oosthuizen (73) and Pablo Larrazabal (72) dropped off the leaderboard, while Sergio Garcia was in a five-way tie for sixth place after a 66 that included a long putt for birdie on No. 8. It prompted Garcia to dance a jig of delight on the green.

“I don’t know if they were dance moves. They were like jabs,” said Garcia, the 2014 champion. “When we got to the ninth tee, I said to my caddie and to the guys, ‘I think that celebration is going to look a little bit funny on TV.'”

Matthew Fitzpatrick, Stephen Gallacher, and Matteo Manassero were among those to miss the cut.

Lawrie is making his 16th appearance in Qatar. He won the event in 1999 and 2012, before going on to represent Europe in the Ryder Cup the same year.

Lawrie went out in the morning and avoided the worst of the windy conditions. Starting on the back nine, he birdied Nos. 10 and 12 and responded to a bogey at No. 15 by picking up more shots on the 16th and 18th holes. More birdies came on the fourth, seventh and ninth holes.

“I got a little frustrated after No. 15 because I thought, ‘You are not taking advantage of the conditions,'” Lawrie said.

Canada’s Mike Weir shot a 76 Friday for a two-day total of 149 (+5). He’ll miss the cut for a second straight week.

DOHA, Qatar – Louis Oosthuizen made another fast start to his first tournament of the year, shooting a 7-under 65 in the first round of the Qatar Masters to share the lead with Pablo Larrazabal on Wednesday.

The 2010 British Open champion has won his first event of the calendar year in four of the last five years, and is in a good position already in Qatar after rolling in seven birdies in a bogey-free round.

“I don’t know the reason why I always play well in January – probably because I’m well rested after a long break and a holiday. I should take more eight-week breaks,” said Oosthuizen, who is bidding to become the fourth South African winner in six events so far in the 2016 European Tour campaign.

“I enjoy the time away from the course and not touching my clubs, and afterwards I’m ready to go again and hungry to get back playing.”

Larrazabal also made seven birdies and no bogeys after the Spaniard hit 17 greens in regulation at Doha Golf Club, where 36 players broke 70 despite the windy conditions.

Andrew Johnston and Nicolas Colsaerts are a shot behind along with Swedish Challenge Tour graduate Bjorn Akesson, who was 7 under after 11 holes but bogeyed No. 8 – his 17th hole.

“I changed my grip a little bit this morning on the driving range, and it worked out really well today,” Akesson said. “So I would say that’s the key.”

Colsaerts, a big-hitting Belgian playing only his second event since mid-October, had six birdies.

Defending champion Branden Grace and 2014 winner Sergio Garcia shot 70s.

Mike Weir shot an opening-round 73 for a share of 80th at 1-over.

Canadian golfer Brooke Henderson is coming off a breakthrough rookie season. She’s hoping to build off it as she aims for bigger things in 2016 and beyond.

“I’m looking to get a few more wins on the LPGA Tour and hopefully a major championship within the next couple of years,” Henderson said. “I know that requires a lot of hard work and improvement on my behalf and a solid week (at each event). But I know it’s possible and I’m just looking forward to getting the chance to do it.”

Henderson will begin her season this week at the Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic. The US$1.4-million tournament begins Thursday at the Ocean Club Golf Course on Paradise Island.

As a 17-year-old without full-time status, Henderson had an unpredictable first half of the season last year. She often had to rely on sponsor exemptions and qualification rounds to enter tournaments.

Things changed last August when she blew away the field at the Cambia Portland Classic to win her first LPGA Tour event by eight strokes. Henderson was immediately given full Tour membership and can now play a full schedule without the hassle of chaotic travel plans and the grind of qualifiers.

“I want to go out and make a good name for myself and see if I can make a long career out of it,” Henderson said in a recent interview.

After spending the holiday season in her hometown of Smiths Falls, Ont., Henderson has spent the last few weeks preparing for the season at the Indigo Lakes Golf Club in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Henderson rocketed over 200 spots in the world rankings last year before settling at the No. 18 position. She’s hoping improvements to her short game will help get her into the top 10.

“I want to make sure that around the green I’m very consistent,” she said. “Especially against the top (players) in the world. They’re so good. Over the last couple of years, I’ve noticed that if I could improve a little bit, it’s definitely around the green. So I’ve been working hard on that and just getting my mental game up to where it should be.”

Canadian women’s national team coach Tristan Mullally has worked with Henderson over the last four years. He thinks one of her strongest assets is that she’s not limited to one particular style – she can remain consistent regardless of the course.

“More variety of shots. She is powerful. She’s not one of the longest hitters in the game but she’s consistently in the right place in the fairways,” he said. “Her overall length compared to the others is probably very close to the top 25 or 30 in terms of length. But she’s higher (with her) accuracy.”

Henderson is also a virtual lock to represent Canada when golf makes its return to the Olympic program at the Summer Games in August.

“Rio is definitely one that really stands out,” Henderson said of the tournaments this season. “Being able to play in the Olympics and represent your country is an unbelievable experience that I’m really excited for. Along with that, there are five other majors on the LPGA Tour, which definitely stand out and are weeks when I want a peak performance.”

Some of Henderson’s best results have come at major events. She finished tied for fifth at both the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and the U.S. Women’s Open last year.

“After the season I had last year, I know anything is possible,” she said. “Like I said there’s a lot of hard work that still needs to be done and little improvements. But it’s exciting to be in the position that I am … I’ve been given a gift and I want to make the most of it.”

Depending on how things work out, she could play in over 30 events this season.

“I think it’s a pretty remarkable story,” Mullally said. “And this year because she’s going to be able to plan her schedule, because there is a more consistent way to go about things, her preparation will just be better.”

Sei Young Kim of South Korea is the defending champion at this week’s Tour stop. Henderson finished in a tie for 33rd place last year.

In case you missed it, this weeks episode of the Canadian TV crime drama Murdoch Mysteries titled “A Case of the Yips” was about the death of a golfer on a golf course.

During the episode, lead crime detective Murdoch crosses path with the late George S. Lyon – a Canadian Golf Hall of Fame honoured member and reigning Olympic gold medalist for golf – while solving the case.

The fictional golf course, the venue for much of the episode, is the Toronto Athletic Golf Club. Rumour has it that this episode was filmed at Heritage Hills in Barrie, Ont.

The full episode is below. Grab some popcorn and enjoy the show.

CARLSBAD, CALIF. –  TaylorMade Golf today unveiled M2 drivers, fairways and rescue clubs to complete the M family. In M2, engineers have utilized the same proprietary multi-material combination, including the seven-layer carbon composite crown found in the M1, to develop a line of products that deliver two highly sought-after performance benefits: distance and forgiveness.

Similar to M1, the M2 product line meets the challenge of delivering more performance to players of all skill levels with the utilization of multi-material construction (driver and fairway). From the outset, the key product deliverable for the M2 line has been to deliver maximum forgiveness without sacrificing distance. TaylorMade has achieved this by leveraging the weight savings from the carbon crown and redistributing the discretionary weight to the sole of the club, resulting in a low and slightly farther back centre of gravity. This ultimately gives many golfers what they want: distance and forgiveness, without compromise. The result is a family of clubs that deliver hot trajectories with massive sweet spots and maximum forgiveness.

Multi-Material Construction (Driver)

Similar to the composition of M1, the use of TaylorMade’s carbon composite crown design in the M2 driver has resulted in a significant decrease in overall crown weight and with that, engineers have been able to lower the CG considerably. The total weight savings of 5g creates a dream scenario for our engineers, giving them enough discretionary weight savings to generate a remarkably hot trajectory with maximized forgiveness. Whereas the savings in weight in the M1 was used to develop the company’s revolutionary T-Track System, the combination of the carbon crown with titanium casting technology in the M2 driver has enabled engineers to move the CG into a position of simultaneous speed and forgiveness.

Sweetspot & Ball Speed Protection

With forgiveness a priority in M2, TaylorMade engineers focused on three key performance features that deliver ball speed protection on shots struck away from centre-face: inverted cone technology (ICT), a redesigned Speed Pocket; and increased moment of inertia (MOI).

The M2 driver utilizes inverted cone technology (ICT) to increase the size of the high-COR area of the clubface. ICT utilizes a thinner clubface, which would be above the legal limit for COR at the centre if it were uniform thickness. However, the inverted cone feature is then added to the centre of the clubface to bring that section back down to the legal range, while the higher COR remains out on the heel and toe areas of the face.

M2 also features a redesigned Speed Pocket. It allows for greater face flexion than with a traditional, more rigid connection. More flexibility means greater energy transfer at impact made low on the face and thus, more protection of ball speed.

Lastly, the centre of gravity in the M2 driver has been positioned low and slightly further back in the clubhead. In M2, the moments of inertia (MOI) are among the highest of any club we’ve ever produced. The increased MOI resists twisting at impact, resulting in farther and straighter shots when struck off-centre.

Design Aesthetics

Like M1, the M2 driver head is designed with a classic club head shape and fast, aggressive aesthetics where the black carbon meets the white titanium. The design suits the eye of better players from address but delivers performance for all, with maximized aerodynamics, face area, and a low centre of gravity. The structural changes in the design of the club head include a lowered front face area that still has the traditional rounded face shape from address, as well as a raised front crown and sloping rear crown section to maximize low CG without compromising the aerodynamic benefits.

Personalization

The 12 position loft sleeve of the M2 driver provides up to four degrees of loft adjustment. In addition to the stock Fujikura Pro shaft, TaylorMade will offer upwards of 30 additional premium custom shaft options at no upcharge.

Availability and Pricing

Available beginning February 19 at $499.99 CDN, the M2 driver is available in 9.5°, 10.5° (RH & LH) & 12° (RH only) loft options.

M2 Fairway

Similar to the M2 driver, the multi-material carbon crown on the M2 fairway has created 5g of discretionary weight savings, allowing for an extremely low CG. The shallow head design delivers versatile playability from the tee and fairway. A new, fluted hosel design provides superior sound and feel without compromising distance. In all, the M2 fairway is engineered for dominant performance in every detail of the club, delivering exceptional distance and superior look and feel.

Redesigned Speed Pocket

In 2012, TaylorMade redefined the metalwood category and changed the state of the industry with the introduction of RocketBallz and the creation of the first ever Speed Pocket. Since then, company engineers have been relentlessly working toward creating a longer, faster and more forgiving product, taking everything learned from the success of the best-selling fairway model in company history and improving on it to design and engineer a product demonstrably better in every way.

A new, completely redesigned Speed Pocket significantly increases the flexibility of the low club face area; the most flexible Speed Pocket the company has ever designed. The increase in low face flexibility translates into a higher COR, which results in higher ball speed for shots struck low on the face. This is primarily achieved by creating more flexibility in the Speed Pocket.

Availability, Pricing and Personalization

Available starting February 19 at $299.99 CDN, the M2 fairway is offered in five lofts – 15˚, 16.5˚, 18˚ (RH & LH) and 21˚ & 24˚ (RH only), equipped with a TaylorMade Reax 65 (S, X), 55 (R, M), or  45 (L).

M2 Rescue

Born from TaylorMade’s fairway wood DNA, the M2 Rescue is designed to deliver effortless launch and maximum distance from anywhere on the course. The redesigned open channel Speed Pocket creates a large sweet spot for maximized distance and forgiveness with low spin, and the low centre of gravity delivers a hot trajectory for longer, more consistent shots. Aesthetically, the low profile shaping more closely mirrors the shaping of a fairway wood, leading to a more confidence-inspiring, easy to hit product.

Availability, Pricing and Personalization

Also available on February 19 at $249.99 CDN, M2 Rescue is offered in four lofts: 19°, 22°, (RH & LH) 25° & 28° (RH only) is equipped with a TaylorMade Reax 75 (S), 65 (R), 55 (M), or 45 (L) shaft.

“The M2 line utilizes our new advanced multi-material construction to break yet another performance barrier, delivering once again the hot trajectory that TaylorMade is known for while at the same time providing game-changing forgiveness,” said Brian Bazzel, TaylorMade’s Senior Director of Product Creation. “With the entire M2 line of product, we’re delivering golfers what they want and need; distance, trajectory and forgiveness.”

For more information, visit TaylorMadeGolf.ca.