INCHEON, Korea – Dustin Johnson hasn’t lost a match while playing for the United States in nearly four years.

Part of that is because he’s very good.

Any discussion about American talent in golf would have to include the 31-year-old Johnson, who has won in every PGA Tour season since he was a rookie in 2008 fresh out of Coastal Carolina. He has chased majors, falling short either by bad luck (Chambers Bay), a bad shot (Royal St. George’s), bad golf (Pebble Beach) or a bad setup (bunkers at Whistling Straits).

But there’s another reason that Johnson hasn’t lost a match in so long. He hasn’t played a team event since the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah.

Johnson was left off the Presidents Cup team two years ago when he finished 12th in the U.S. standings, and captain Fred Couples passed over Johnson and Jim Furyk in favour of 20-year-old rookie Jordan Spieth.

“I was pretty (upset) I didn’t get picked,” Johnson said with a laugh. “Why you got to bring that up?”

And then last year involved extenuating, if not mysterious, circumstances. He easily would have qualified for the team except for taking an indefinite leave from golf to seek professional help from what he described only as “personal challenges.”

Even so, the record shows that Charl Schwartzel is the last player to beat him, in Sunday singles at Royal Melbourne in 2011. Johnson went 3-0 at Medinah the following year, one of only three Americans to win a singles match in Europe’s record-tying comeback.

“Even though it’s been a little bit, it didn’t feel like it’s been that long,” Johnson said. “It’s the same guys, kind of the same team.”

Not really.

Only six American players are at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea who were on the last team that included Johnson. Even last year, three players who had been considered regulars for the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup didn’t make the team.

Zach Johnson was stunned to hear that Dustin Johnson hasn’t played in these team events in three years, until he gave it some more thought.

“It’s surprising to a degree,” he said. “It’s just an illustration of how deep and how good the PGA Tour is.”

Hunter Mahan was in seven of the last eight team competitions _ he only missed Medinah in 2012 _ and wasn’t even part of the conversation this year. Mahan struggled with a growing family and his game and missed the Tour Championship for the first time since the FedEx Cup began in 2007. He ended last year at No. 22 in the world, and now is struggling to stay in the top 50.

Keegan Bradley made an auspicious Ryder Cup debut in 2012 with Phil Mickelson, played on the next two teams and is fading from view. Bradley hasn’t won a tournament since the Bridgestone Invitational three years ago.

Webb Simpson missed his first team this year since 2010.

Tiger Woods has been dealing with his own set of circumstances, mostly injuries that have kept him out of the game or kept him from playing the game like he once did. He was last seen in team uniform at Muirfield Village two years ago with Sammy the squirrel on his shoulder. Woods missed a big chunk of 2014 recovering from back surgery, and he made the cut (with only one top 10) in the 11 tournaments he played this year.

It was no less gratifying for the big-hitting Johnson when he checked in at the team hotel Sunday night after his long flight from Los Angeles, stuck his head in the team room to catch up with the rest of the Americans and then dress in uniform for a practice round that included Jimmy Walker, Chris Kirk and Patrick Reed. Those are three guys with whom Johnson has never played in a team competition.

The turnover isn’t that great from the U.S. team that lost at Gleneagles in the Ryder Cup with only three new faces _ Kirk, Bill Haas and J.B. Holmes, who replaced Furyk.

Perhaps more changes are coming.

“It’s hard to make these teams,” Zach Johnson said. “Saying that makes it that much more impressive what Phil has done.”

Mickelson has played in every Presidents Cup since it began in 1994, and he has qualified for them all except for being a captain’s pick the first year and this year. He has qualified for every Ryder Cup team since 1995. The last time Mickelson was not in U.S. uniform, Deane Beman was the PGA Tour commissioner.

Furyk is not far behind. This is only the second team event he has missed since 1997.

With more young faces in the pipeline, that kind of longevity will be hard to repeat.

INCHEON, South Korea – Adam Scott only has three months left before the method used for his long putter is banned.

He saw no need to wait.

Scott used a conventional putter for a practice round Monday at the Presidents Cup, and the 35-year-old Australian said this time he won’t be going back. Scott spent the last five weeks practicing with the new putter and a cross-handed grip that feels as comfortable as the long putter he had used the last four years.

“I think it was a good time to make a change and spend some time working on it,” Scott said. “It’s a similar amount of time, actually, when I switched to the long putter, that gap of five weeks between events. It took shape quickly, and I feel the same will happen with this. It’s kind of refreshing to have to make a forced change because my putting stats are not that impressive this year.”

Scott’s putting has never been a strength, though this season his No. 158 ranking in the key putting statistic was his worst since he last used a conventional putter in 2010.

Golf’s ruling bodies adopted a new rule effective Jan. 1 that bans the anchored stroke used for longer putters. Scott switched to a long putter in 2011 and won the Masters two years later.

He showed up at Doral at the start of this year using a conventional putter and tied for fourth. But he missed the cut the following week at the Valspar Championship, finished 13 shots out of the lead at Bay Hill and went back to the long putter.

“I didn’t take any time going into that,” he said. “I just did it with no thought and open mind to see how it went. It went well, really, but maybe I got a little jumpy as I neared the Masters without a little practice and went back. But this is a more permanent move. I think I’ve got to stick with it now and get good at it.”

Other players who won majors with an anchored putting stroke – Webb Simpson, Keegan Bradley and Ernie Els – already made the switch. Scott got more attention than the others because his performance in the majors improved shortly after going to a long putter, even though he was ranked out of the top 100 in putting all but one year.

“There was a bit of a letdown and some frustration,” Scott said. “I didn’t putt well knowing I had to make the change in the back of my mind, and now there’s a clear path going forward.”

Scott has gone 14 consecutive years winning somewhere in the world, a streak that now is in jeopardy going into his final six tournaments of the year. He has had only two top 10s since March – a tie for fourth in the U.S. Open and a tie for 10th in the British Open – and didn’t make it beyond the opening event of the FedEx Cup playoffs.

Turns out that extra month off proved useful.

Scott said he always felt as though a cross-handed grip would be the best style. He worked with his coach and the Scotty Cameron putting studio to find the right putter, and he showed up at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea feeling good about the rest of the year.

“I’m more confident putting it into play this week,” he said. “Playing with it early in the year I didn’t know what to expect. This week … there has to be a week where I start, and it might as well be here. I’m confident I can make myself one of the best putters on tour with a short putter.”

Along with a conventional putter, the other difference with Scott was the tape on his right middle finger. He said he damaged it earlier in the year – he’s not sure when or even how – and it began to aggravate him around the PGA Championship. He discovered a torn ligament from the repetitive stress of hitting golf balls, but the time off helped and Scott said it has healed enough for him to play.

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

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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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Ernie Muise was elected 62^nd president of the Nova ScotiaGolf Association at the association’s Annual Fall Meeting held October 3^rd 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