19th Hole

FootJoy introduces new EXO4 glove

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FootJoy has launched the latest innovation in high-tech performance with the new EXO4TM glove. Boasting several exclusive, performance-enhancing technologies, the EXO4 glove offers exceptional fit, flex, feel and form in all weather conditions.

The lightweight EXO4 glove incorporates an exclusive FiberSof MicroTAC™ palm that provides a smoother feel with advanced Taction® Grip for extremely durable and reliable performance in all playing conditions. The exclusive FiberSofTM material on the back of the hand and fingers of the glove combines with special LYCRA® FLX Zones to form a unique FJ Exoskeleton™ bonded construction for advanced comfort, breathability and contoured fit.

Using specifically-designed FLX ZonesTM along the back of the hand, the EXO4 glove also delivers a natural, flexible movement for the golfer, while maintaining a secure and consistent grip on the club. A moisture-wicking Wrist Elastic Cuff, plus a 3-Directional angled tab closure, also improves fit and comfort when playing.

“The EXO4 epitomizes the top performance from the #1 Glove in Golf and offers several innovative design and material technologies that will appeal to golfers playing in all types of conditions,” said Maria Bonzagni, Senior Director of Marketing, FJ Gloves and Accessories. “Thanks also to the impressive comfort, look and durability of the glove, the EXO4 should be a favorite with those playing regularly week in, week out at their golf club.”

The new EXO4 glove is available in sizes S-XXL, ensuring an all-encompassing provision of Men’s Left, Cadet and Right handed options and come in a bold white/black design.

Wil Bateman becomes first Canadian to win on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica

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Wil Bateman (E.Berardi/ PGA TOUR)

SANTIAGO, Chile – Edmonton native Wil Bateman birdied the 72nd hole to secure a one-stroke victory at the Hyundai BBVA 89th Chile Open, the 12th tournament of the 2015 season of PGA TOUR Latinoamérica.

Bateman’s closing 67 lifted him above Rafael Campos. Bryan Martin, who shared the 54-hole lead, finished two behind Bateman’s mark of 24-under 264 at the Golf Club Los Leones.

With birdies on the last two holes for a 66 for the third consecutive day, Puerto Rico’s Campos finished at 23-under. A stroke behind, American Bryan Martin closed with a 69.

Chilean Guillermo Pereira, one of the protagonists of the week, made 69 and finished in a three-way tie for fourth place. He shared this position, six strokes of the champion, with American Jonathan Page and Argentina’s Rafael Echenique.

“What an incredible experience today was,” said Bateman, who at 22 became the fourth youngest champion in PGA TOUR Latinoamérica history.

“Rafa and Bryan put up a great fight. It was great we all played very solid most of the time. It feels great to end up winning when we all were making birdies.”

After making three consecutive birdies on holes 4, 5 and 6, Bateman took the lead alone for the first time. Although Martin managed to overtake him with his own trio of birdies on holes 8-10, a bogey at 11 evened the tournament again.

Bateman went back ahead with a birdie on No. 13 and his advantage was doubled when Martin made a bogey at 14.

Campos made birdie at 17 to move within one shot of the leader. So the fight was concentrated on the final hole, a 511-yard par-5. After Bateman missed his 45-foot eagle try, Campos narrowly missed his eagle putt from 30 feet that would have likely forced a playoff.

“At 18 I hit two good shots and then I had that 45-foot putt (for eagle),” Bateman said. “I’m glad I (hit it) to 1 foot because truth be told I was very nervous in the last hole.”

With his victory in Chile, his first PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and the second of his professional career, Bateman jump to eighth place in the Order of Merit after beginning the week in 64th. He also becomes the first Canadian to win on the tour.

“Now this changes my calendar because I had planned to play (the Web.com Tour qualifying tournament) in two weeks,” he said.” I think that now I’ll play the last six tour events because it is important to finish at least in the top-10 of the Order of Merit to gain exemption to the School Finals. The goal is to gain status on the Web.com Tour, so I’ll concentrate on the next tournament and see what happens

Amateur

Canada’s Ward is medalist at U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur

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Casey Ward (USGA/ Matt Sullivan)

CHOUDRANT, La. – Casey Ward, 25, of Picton, Ont., followed Saturday’s round of 2-over 74 with a 2-under 70 on Sunday to earn stroke-play medalist honours at the 29th U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, being conducted at the 6,061-yard, par-72 Squire Creek Country Club.

Ward, who finished at even-par 144, is the second Women’s Mid-Amateur medalist from Canada and first since former Team Canada member Mary Ann Hayward, the 2005 Women’s Mid-Amateur champion, did so in 1998. Entering the day two strokes behind Sarah Davison, Ward posted four birdies and two bogeys on the day to record the low round of stroke play.

“I’m really excited. I didn’t really have too many expectations coming into this week,” said Ward, the 2015 Ontario Women’s Mid-Amateur champion. “That’s how I have approached things all summer, not going in with any expectations and just playing my game. It’s nice to see my name at the top.”

Starting on the 10th hole, Ward started with three pars before birdieing the par-4 13th and par-4 15th holes. She was able to overcome Squire Creek’s difficult greens by consistently giving herself good birdie opportunities.

“I was in the right position all day, for the most part,” she said. “I had a lot of good looks at birdie. I only got a few to fall, but I was right on the edge all day.”

Two other Canadians advanced to match play including Shelly Stouffer of Nanoose Bay, B.C., who finished tied for 17th at 13-over 157 and Christina Proteau of Port Alberni, B.C., tied for 29th at 15-over 159.

A Monday-morning playoff will determine the final seven spots in the 64-player match-play field. Eleven players will compete for those spots, beginning at 8 a.m. CDT.

The 2015 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship is open to female amateur golfers with a Handicap Factor not exceeding 9.4. It consists of 36 holes of stroke play followed by six rounds of match play, with the championship scheduled to conclude with an 18-hole final on Thursday, Oct. 8.

The U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship is one of 13 national championship conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.

Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo wins Web.com Tour Finals finale

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Emiliano Grillo (Sam Greenwood/ Getty Images)

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo made a 25-foot birdie putt on the final hole Sunday to win the Web.com Tour Finals-ending Web.Com Tour Championship.

The 23-year-old Grillo beat Chez Reavie by a stroke in the last of the four events that replaced PGA Tour qualifying school, finishing with a 1-under 69 for a 14-under 266 total on TPC Sawgrass’ Dye’s Valley Course. Reavie had a chance to force a playoff, but missed a 15-foot birdie putt. He shot a 68.

The series featured the top 75 players from the Web.com Tour money list, Nos. 126-200 in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup standings and non-members such as Grillo who earned enough money to have placed in the top 200 had they been eligible. The top 25 players on the Web.com Tour regular-season money list earned PGA Tour cards. They were competing against each other for tour priority, with regular-season earnings counting in their totals. The other players were competing for 25 cards based on series earnings.

Grillo earned $180,000 for the victory to finish second on the series money list with $283,667. He lost a playoff in March in the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open.

Reavie, the winner of the second event in the series, made $108,000 to top the list with $323,067. The 2008 Canadian Open winner finished 166th in the FedEx Cup.

Reavie and Patton Kizzire, the Web.com Tour’s combined money leader with $518,241, earned full tour exemptions and spots in the Players Championship. Kizzire closed with a 67 to tie for fifth at 10 under.

Sam Saunders was third at 12 under after a 67. Saunders, Arnold Palmer’s grandson, was sixth on the series list with $114,950 after finishing 137th in the FedEx Cup.

Australia’s Rhein Gibson was another stroke back after a 65. He was 10th on the series list with $81,943 after finishing 33rd on the Web.com Tour regular-season money list.

Kyle Stanley (68) and South Africans Thomas Aiken (65) and Tyrone Van Aswegen (68) also tied for fifth. Stanley finsihed 11th on the money list with $81,875, Van Aswegen was 17th at $49,637, and Aiken 23rd at $35,125.

Rob Oppenheim took the 25th and final card with $32,206, edging Eric Axley by $101. Oppenheim finished with a 67 to tie for seventh at 7 under and earn $19,000. Axley, 25th last year, missed the cut.

Henrik Norlander was third on the money list with $215,743, followed by Andrew Loupe at $195,405. The each won events in the series.

Roberto Castro also earned a card along with Michael Thompson, Tom Hoge, Brett Stegmaier, Hiroshi Iwata, Ricky Barnes, Lucas Glover, Derek Fathauer, Anirban Lahiri, Mark Hubbard, Robert Garrigus, Tim Wilkinson Derek Ernst, Luke List and Brian Davis.

 

DP World Tour

Olesen wins Alfred Dunhill Links

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Thorbjorn Olesen (David Cannon/ Getty Images)

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – Thorbjorn Olesen overcame a shaky start Sunday to protect his overnight lead and win the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship by two shots.

Olesen had a double bogey on the second hole and a bogey on the third but recovered for a 1-under 71 at St. Andrews to hold off a late charge by Brooks Koepka of the United States.

Koepka shot a 67 to finish tied for second with fellow American Chris Stroud (68). Olesen, who entered the final round with a three-shot lead, finished with an 18-under total of 270.

The Dane earned his third European Tour title after showing his mastery of links courses, having finished runner-up here in 2012. The tournament is spread over St. Andrews, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie over the first three rounds.

“It’s been a very tough year and standing here with this trophy is unbelievable,” said Olesen, who missed three months of the season after hand surgery. “It was nice this week just to play three great rounds of golf – the first three – and keep it together in this last round.”

Koepka looked set to challenge Olesen when he picked up three straight birdies from the ninth, but lost his momentum with a bogey on the 13th. After another birdie on 14, he finished with four straight pars.

“I am pretty pleased,” Koepka said. “Overall I played pretty well but just came up a little bit short.”

Stroud needed a birdie on the 18th to tie for second.

“I can’t imagine anything better than this,” Stroud said. “I would take that score on any tournament, so at the original place of golf, right here in the Home of Golf, this is pretty special.”

Chris Wood of England was among five players tied for fourth, another shot back, after a 65.

 

Amateur

Jin Cheng wins weather-shortened Asia-Pacific Amateur

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Jin Cheng (R&A)

HONG KONG – Third-round leader Jin Cheng of China won the Asia-Pacific Amateur championship without hitting a ball on Sunday after the fourth round was abandoned due to heavy rain and high winds at Clearwater Bay Golf and Country Club.

Jin, who led by two strokes after each of the first two rounds, had a 54-hole total of 11-under 199 to edge Australian amateur champion Cameron Davis and his countryman Ryan Ruffels by one stroke.

His win, which assures him a spot in next year’s Masters, was set up by a tournament record 8-under 62 on Thursday. A clutch final-hole birdie on Saturday secured victory for the 17-year-old.

Jin, who plans to play in the Macau Open later this month, was thrilled with the result and the prospect of playing at Augusta.

“This win just came so fast and so sudden,” Jin said. “I was ready for the round today and unfortunately the weather didn’t work out. Going there (the Masters) next year is just amazing for me. I’m so excited and looking forward to it. This win should give me a lot of confidence.”

The final round got under way as scheduled on Sunday but was suspended soon after with only nine groups on the course. Organizers abandoned play just after 11 a.m. (0300 GMT), with the inclement weather caused by nearby Typhoon Mujigae showing no sign of relenting.

If the final round had proceeded, Ruffels, Davis and defending champion Antonio Murdaca of Australia, who shot a 64 on Saturday to surge into contention, looked set to challenge Jin for the title.

Although they knew on Saturday that Sunday’s play may not go ahead, with a Masters berth on the line, it was still tough to take for the runners-up.

“I guess it’s not hard to tell that we are both pretty gutted,” Ruffels said. “Obviously there’s nothing you can do about the situation. The tournament did great in just trying to get us out there. Credit to Cheng, he played amazing this week to back up 8-under with those two rounds in some tough conditions.”

It was Jin’s fourth start in the tournament, with his previous best finish a tie for 12th at Royal Melbourne last year. He is the second Chinese player to win the event after Guan Tianlang’s triumph in 2012.

To go with his Masters berth, Jin, along with Ruffels and Davis, earned a place in the final round of qualifying for the 2016 British Open at Royal Troon.

Taiwan’s Yu Chun-an and Kim Tae-ho of South Korea finished in a tie for fourth, three shots off the pace.

 

DP World Tour

Olesen grabs 3-shot lead at Alfred Dunhill Links

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Thorbjorn Olesen (Ian Walton/ Getty Images)

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark took a three-shot lead at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on Saturday after a 7-under 65 at St. Andrews in the third round.

Olesen started with a bogey on the first hole but then had eight birdies the rest of the way – including four on the last five holes – for a 17-under 199 total.

“I started off badly by hitting it in the water on the first but I got over it and played some good golf,” Olesen said. “My putter started to get very hot out there and I holed a lot of great putts. So yeah, it was good fun.”

Florian Fritsch of Germany was second after a 64 at Kingsbarns, with Benjamin Hebert of France another shot back after a 67 at Carnoustie. The players alternated between the three courses on the first three days, with the final round held at St. Andrews.

Fritsch had six birdies and an eagle in his bogey-free round. After starting on the 10th tee, he eagled the par-5 third hole and had three birdies on the next four.

“I hit a couple of good putts and ended up rolling in a few birdies and an eagle,” the German said. “That was a little extra.”

Jimmy Mullen, who held a share of the overnight lead, could only manage a 74 at Carnoustie to plummet down the leaderboard.

Ernie Els, who scuffed a putt from less than a foot out in the first round, continued his resurgence with a 66 at St. Andrews to sit in a tie for eighth, six shots back.

 

Amateur

Ernest Muise elected 62nd president of Nova Scotia Golf Association

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Ernie Muise was elected 62nd president of the Nova ScotiaGolf Association at the association’s Annual Fall Meeting held October 3rd at the Glen Arbour Golf Club. Mr. Muise will serve as the NSGA President until the end of the 2016 season.

Muise is the third president of the NSGA to serve from the Clare Golf Club (Dr. Julius Comeau 1986-87 and Roland Deveau 2001-02). Prior to joining the NSGA board in 2006, Mr. Muise was on the board of Clare Golf Club for 12 years and served as president in 2004-2005. He has been very active with both the Clare Golf Club and the NSGA. While with the NSGA he has served as the: Western Zone Representative, Director of Membership and served terms as first and second Vice President. Ernie has also served on the Provincial Council with Golf Canada.

Born in Grosses Coques in Digby County, N.S., Ernie lived and worked with Consolidated Freightways in Stoughton Massachusetts for over 30 years. After retiring he moved home to Nova Scotia where he lives with his wife Lorraine in Little Brook.

The following members will comprise the 2015-2016 NSGA Board of Directors:

President – Ernie Muise, Clare
Vice President – Garry Beattie, Ashburn
2nd Vice President – Katie Brine, Truro
Past President – Shirley d’Entremont, West Pubnico
Secretary/Treasurer – Jen Thompson, Brightwood
Course Rating Director – John Horton, Ken-Wo
Tournament Director – Bill MacMillan, Hartlen Point
Rules Director – Doug McEwan, Greenwood
Player Development Director – Sara Wilson, NSPPC
Membership Director – Sue Mitchell, Brightwood
Handicap Director – David Acker, Ken-Wo
Junior Director -Rob  Collins, Clare

Best moments in 10 previous meetings of the Presidents Cup

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Tiger Woods, Mike Weir (Scott Halleran/ Getty Images)

The 10 best moments from the Presidents Cup, which will be played Oct. 8-11 at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon, South Korea:

10. OH, CANADA:
Mike Weir, at No. 20 in the standings, was a captain’s pick for the 2007 Presidents Cup in Canada. Even though the Americans had a huge lead at Royal Montreal going into Sunday, the Canadian faced Tiger Woods with a nation watching. Weir made a birdie to square the match on the 17th. On the final hole, Woods’ tee shot failed to clear the water on the left. It splashed down right in front of a pair of fans holding a Maple Leaf flag. The Americans won the cup. Weir won a match that felt almost as big.

9. NICE GUY NICK:
The Presidents Cup was never more packed with emotion than in South Africa in 2003. The matches were close from the start, particularly on Sunday, and especially Nick Price against Kenny Perry. Perry won three straight holes. Price won the next three holes. It came down to the 18th hole, and Price had a birdie putt to halve the match. He missed, and walking off the green, he broke his putter over his knee.

8. BOOM BOOM:
For the longest time, Fred Couples was the American face of the Ryder Cup. He secured victory in 1996 with a 35-foot birdie putt and a celebration that was vintage Freddie. As he raced off the green, he grabbed a hat off the head of a caddie and threw it in the air, and then butchered a high-five with Davis Love III. Nine years later, Couples made a critical putt to beat Vijay Singh, dropping his putter and walking away. As a captain, he went 3-0.

7. THUNDER DOWN UNDER:
The Presidents Cup was held in Virginia the first two times, and the International team demanded a home game. So it went to Royal Melbourne in 1998, and the Americans were so stacked that International captain Peter Thomson introduced them as the “greatest collection of golfers in the world.” Just not that week. The event was so lopsided that Nick Price secured the winning point by beating David Duval before breakfast had stopped being served. The final score was 20 1/2-11 1/2.

6. AQUAMAN:
Woody Austin tried to play a shot from the bank of a lake on the 14th hole at Royal Montreal in 2007 when he lost his balance, stumbled backward and fell face-first into the water. The one-liners were endless. The fans called out “Marco” and “Polo” the rest of his match. U.S. captain Jack Nicklaus put him in the lineup the next day and announced him as “Jacques Cousteau.” Austin played along and showed up Sunday wearing snorkeling gear.

5. GRAHAM’S OUSTER:
The early days of the Presidents Cup brought controversy that would have made the Ryder Cup blush. Two months before the 1996 matches, the International team met at the British Open for what amounted to a coup. They demanded David Graham be ousted as captain. He resigned, though he felt the players had defamed his character. Some players felt the planning for the matches was being ignored. Others, particularly South Africans and Australians, wanted more say in choosing the captain. Peter Thomson took over, and the Americans still won.

4. DIMARCO’S MOMENT:
More than any of his three PGA Tour victories, the career highlight for Chris DiMarco might have been his 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club to win the 2005 Presidents Cup. DiMarco was in the final match against Stuart Appleby, and when the putt went in, he ran across the green and straight into the arms of captain Jack Nicklaus.

3. THE DEPARTURE:
The second Presidents Cup was compelling and not decided until Fred Couples make a 35-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole. But the final day of the 1996 matches was missing a large faction of the national press. That same week, 20-year-old Tiger Woods was playing the Quad City Classic in his third start as a pro, and he had a one-shot lead. Golf writers from the largest national publications left Virginia for a small town in western Illinois to watch Woods. The Americans won. Woods lost.

2. TIGER WHO?:
The Americans rolled to victory in 2000, but Tiger Woods managed to find motivation. He played the Sunday singles match against Vijay Singh, a matchup between the major champions of the year (Singh won the Masters, Woods won the rest). Paul Tesori, the caddie for Singh, thought it would be funny to write “Tiger Who?” on the back of his cap. Woods apparently didn’t. Woods made bogey on the fourth hole and refused to concede Singh’s 10-foot birdie putt, or the 18-inch par putt that follow. Woods beat him on the 17th hole. Asked later what he thought about it, Woods replied, “2 and 1.”

1. THE TIE:
The best Presidents Cup is the one nobody won. The rule for 2003 in South Africa was if the matches ended in a tie, each team would pick one player for a sudden-death playoff. Ernie Els and Tiger Woods were picked, and the tension was thick. Els made a 12-foot putt to halve the second extra hole. On the next hole, when it was so dark it was tough to read the break, Woods made a 15-foot putt that broke two directions for par. Els faced a 6-foot putt with both teams camped around the green. He made it for a halve. Instead of returning Monday morning, captains Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player agreed it was best to end it as a tie and let the teams share the cup. Woods said it was one of the most nerve-racking putts he had ever faced, to which Robert Allenby replied, “Thank god.”

 

Amateur

Chip Lutz wins US Senior Amateur

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Chip Lutz (USGA)

EGGS HARBOR TOWNSHIP, N.J. – Chip Lutz made his first trip to the final match pay off Thursday when he won the U.S. Senior Amateur over Tom Brandes.

Lutz, a 60-year-old from Reading, Pennsylvania, won the opening hole with a par and never trailed at Hidden Creek Golf Club. He won, 5 and 3.

Lutz made it to the semifinal round in 2010, 2011 and 2013. He advanced to the championship match with a 1-up victory over Tim Jackson, a two-time USGA champion.

Lutz also won the 2011 and 2012 Canadian Men’s Senior titles.

Brandes, from Bellevue, Washington, also was runner-up in the British Senior Amateur two years ago.

The victory means Lutz is exempt into the U.S. Senior Open next year, the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Mid-Amateur for two years, and has a 10-year exemption from qualifying for the U.S. Senior Amateur.