PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The PGA Tour has announced the 2015 Web.com Tour schedule, which features 25 tournaments and culminates with the four-event Web.com Tour Finals in September and October.

The season-long chase for 50 available PGA Tour cards encompasses a 21-event Regular Season that runs from the season-opening Panama Claro Championship in late January through the WinCo Foods Portland Open presented by Kraft in late August and will end at the Web.com Tour Championship at TPC Sawgrass on Oct. 4th.

The 2015 season gets underway with five tournaments in Latin America that will be played in late January through mid-March in Panama City, Panama, Bogotá, Colombia, Cartagena, Colombia, São Paulo, Brazil and Santiago, Chile. The Tour welcomes the new Karibana Championship in Cartagena, which makes its debut March 5-8 at TPC Cartagena at Karibana. A sixth Latin American stop will be played in April in Leon, Mexico.

In addition to TPC Cartagena at Karibana, there are two other new venues on the 2015 schedule – Club de Golf Mapocho in Santiago, Chile (Chile Classic) and the Golf Club at Thanksgiving Point near Salt Lake City, Utah (Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank).

The lone Canadian stop, the Nova Scotia Open, takes place June 29- July 5 at Ashburn Golf Club in Halifax.

The Regular Season finale, the WinCo Foods Portland Open presented by Kraft, will be played Aug. 27-30 and determine the first set of 25 PGA Tour cards for 2015-16. Host Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club proved to be a popular and memorable venue last year, with 2014 Player of the Year Carlos Ortiz of Mexico claiming the tournament title and the first three-win promotion on Tour since 2009.

The first two years of the Web.com Tour Finals have created a dramatic conclusion to the season-long chase for the 50 available PGA Tour cards. The 2015 Finals will follow a week off after Portland and be played over four consecutive weeks, from Sept. 10-13 to Oct. 1-4.

• · Hotel Fitness Championship at Sycamore Hills GC, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• · Chiquita Classic at River Run CC, Davidson, North Carolina
• · Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship at Ohio State University GC-Scarlet Course, Columbus, Ohio
• · Web.com Tour Championship at TPC Sawgrass-Dye’s Valley Course, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

The season-ending Web.com Tour Championship (Oct. 1-4) will finalize the second set of 25 PGA Tour cards for 2015-16 and determine player positioning in the priority ranking system, which is used to form fields for Tour events, for all 50 card recipients.

With PGA Tour China’s first year in the books, there are now three tours under the PGA Tour umbrella that feed players to the Web.com Tour – PGA Tour Canada, PGA Tour China and PGA Tour Latinoamérica. Each tour’s leading money winner from 2014 is now a Tour member and will pursue “The Path” to the PGA Tour in 2015.

With December’s completion of the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament, there are 293 players who hold either full or conditional Tour status in 2015.

Click here for the full 2015 Web.com Tour schedule.

HONOLULU – The PGA Tour already has banned the caddie races on the infamous par-3 16th hole at the Phoenix Open. Next on the taboo list: tossing items to fans in the grandstands at golf’s rowdiest hole.

A notice was posted in the locker room Tuesday at Waialae that said, “At this year’s Waste Management Phoenix open, for fan safety reasons, players and caddies are prohibited from throwing, kicking or otherwise propelling items into the crowd on the 16th hole.”

Someone wrote on the top of the notice, “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?”

Um, no.

Players won’t be able to claim ignorance. Andy Pazder, the tour’s chief of operations, said the notice would be posted at the TPC Scottsdale, in the tent on the tee boxes before a player starts his round and even on the electronic scoreboard on the 16 hole.

How it gets enforced is another matter. Pazder made a small clarification by using the word “indiscriminately” throwing objects. In recent years, Rickie Fowler has tossed hats into the grandstand and Bubba Watson is becoming famous for the swag he throws into the bleachers. What first got the tour’s attention was Padraig Harrington kicking a football into the stands. That’s now forbidden.

Pazder said a direct handoff is fine.

“If a player is going by handing them out or flipping them to someone in the first row, that’s fine,” he said. “But not going by throwing things like a Frisbee.”

At issue was safety, much like how the NFL bans players from heaving a football into the stands after a touchdown.

“A fan in public seating in a mad scramble to get a hat is going to hurt himself, or land on top of another person,” he said. “I would say to the players, `Think about the liability.'”

Pazder said he has talked to Watson, among other players, and didn’t receive too much pushback. But as the handwritten addition to the notice indicated, he’s aware the tour will get criticized as the “No Fun Police.”

As if the Phoenix Open isn’t rowdy enough, Tiger Woods is playing the tournament Jan. 29-Feb. 1 for the first time since 2001.

A young CN Future Links Walk With a Pro Participant jumps for joy during the 2014 RBC Canadian Open at Royal Montreal Golf Club. (Bernard Brault/ Golf Canada)

Team RBC players David Hearn and Graham DeLaet pose for a selfie with volunteers during the Monday Pro-Am at the 2014 RBC Canadian Open at Royal Montreal Golf Club. (Bernard Brault/ Golf Canada)

David Hearn shelters a young CN Future Links Walk With a Pro participant during Wednesday of the 2014 RBC Canadian Open. (Bernard Brault/ Golf Canada)

Paris, Ont.’s Jennifer Kirby during a foggy opening-round start to the inaugural Canadian Pacific Women’s Open at London Hunt and Country Club. (Bernard Brault/ Golf Canada)

Brooke Henderson, pictured with World Golf Hall of Fame honoured member Marlene Streit, shows off her Sandra Post (Low Canadian) and (Marlene Streit (Low Amateur) Medals on Sunday of the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open. (Bernard Brault/ Golf Canada)

So Yeon Ryu gets showered with champagne after winning the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open. Ryu will defend her title in 2015 at The Vancouver Golf Club. (Bernard Brault/ Golf Canada)

A 2014 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship participant checks out the hardware on display at the 1st tee during the final round. The trophy on the left is the Earl Grey Cup, while George Lyon’s 1904 Olympic Golf Trophy sits on the right. (Douglas Portz/ Golf Canada)

A competitor approaches his ball on the green during the final round of the 2014 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship at Elmhurst Golf Club in Winnipeg. (Douglas Portz/ Golf Canada)

Team Canada’s Adam Svensson walks with his caddie during the 2014 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship in Winnipeg. (Douglas Portz/ Golf Canada)

American Jonathan Garrick gets a better read on a putt on Elmhurst’s greens during the 2014 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship. Garrick went on to finish tied for second with Taylor Pendrith of Canada. James Beale of New Zealand was crowned champion. (Doug Portz/ Golf Canada)

Two competitors gauge yardage during the 2014 CN Future Links Ontario Championship at The Rock Golf Club in Minett, Ont. (Paul Bennett/ Golf Canada)

A young spectator with her father by her sides smiles with delight as she watches and cheers on Brooke Henderson at the inaugural World Junior Girl’s Championship at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont. (Terry Lenyk/ Golf Canada)

Graham DeLaet and caddie Julien Trudeau in action during third-round action at the 2014 RBC Canadian Open at Royal Montreal Golf Club. (Bernard Brault/ Golf Canada)

A golfer at the 2014 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship stretches before teeing off at Capilano Golf & Country Club in West Vancouver, BC for final round play. (Kim Stallknecht/ Golf Canada)

Rain rounds the practice green at Thornhill Golf & Country Club in Thornhill, Ont. during the final round of the Canadian Junior Girl’s Championship. (Graig Abel/ Golf Canada)

UXBRIDGE, Ont. — The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) has begun its countdown to the 2015 competition season with this week’s release of the 2015 Provincial Championships schedule. Once again, the schedule features some of the best courses in the province that are sure to challenge all competitors.

The season will kick off May 14 with the Men’s Better Ball Championship, hosted annually by Oakdale Golf and Country Club in Toronto.

After the Men’s Better Ball is the first junior event: the Investors Group Junior Spring Classic, May 16-18. The boys return to play Wooden Sticks in Uxbridge, while the girls’ event will be held at Grey Silo Golf Club in Waterloo.

One of the highlights of this year’s schedule will be the Investors Group Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship, July 7-11 at St. Thomas Golf & Country Club in Union. The 2015 tournament will mark the 100^th anniversary of the event. Following a very successful tournament in 2014, which saw now professional golfer Brooke Henderson capture the crown, the 2015 event should be even more of a celebration of women’s golf in Ontario.

The Investors Group Ontario Men’s Amateur Championship will be played the following week, July 14-17 at the Peterborough Golf & Country Club. The 2014 Ontario Men’s Amateur Champion, Chris Hemmerich, is also now pursuing a career among the professional ranks, meaning 2015 will crown new men’s and women’s Ontario amateur champions.

New on the schedule for 2015 is the Ontario Pee Wee Championship. This two-round tournament will be open to boys and girls under 13-years old. Puslinch Lake Golf Course in Cambridge will be the host for the inaugural event, July 27-29.

Lastly, the Investors Group Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship will team up with the Investors Group Senior Women’s Championship and both will be played July 21-23 at Loyalist Country Club in Bath.

A full schedule and tournament registration information can be found on the GAO’s tournaments site here.

Looking to shake off a disappointing 2014 campaign, Rebecca Lee-Bentham has been working hard in the off-season to ensure she puts up more consistent results in 2015.

“Overall, 2014 wasn’t a great season for me, as I struggled through many weeks, physically and mentally,” admitted the 22-year-old who made the cut in only seven out of her 17 LPGA tournaments last season.

As a result of her inconsistency, at the conclusion of the 2014 LPGA campaign, Lee-Bentham was left with conditional status for 2015.

Looking to improve on that, she entered the final stage of LPGA Q-school last December in hopes of finishing in the top-20 to regain her full status.

Despite recording a 2-under par and being the top Canadian born player in the field, the Toronto native finished in a tie for 28^th and just missed out on her goal.

“I thought I played well in Q-school…….I just didn’t putt the way I needed to and missed out on full status by a couple shots,” she said.

So unlike her previous three seasons on the LPGA tour, Lee-Bentham explains that she will have to work a little harder to gain entry into certain tournaments.

“Since I have conditional status, I will most likely be on the alternate list for the first few events of the year. The Coates Golf Championship in Ocala is the first tournament on the LPGA calendar which I will try to qualify for if I don’t make it in through the alternate list,” she pointed out.

As the 22-year-old Canadian prepares for the LPGA season opener which runs January 26-31, she is grateful to have the support of Golf Canada through the Young Pro Program.

An important member of that Golf Canada support team is Tristan Mullally, the head coach of the Canadian national women’s team.

“We support her in her travels and her day-to-day expenses; and Rebecca’s also got a great coaching staff that provides her with full support throughout the year,” he noted about the benefits of the program.

Having kept a close eye on Lee-Bentham’s progression, Mullally expects the young golfer to play closer to her potential this season.

“I’m excited about 2015 for Rebecca because up to now she’s underachieved and I think she’s about to make a move forward this year,” he said.

Lee-Bentham has been training long hours each day in Florida over the winter in order to fine tune all areas of her game.

Mullally was eager to point out the strengths in Lee-Bentham’s game that make her one of the country’s top professional golfers.

“Rebecca’s a tremendously consistent striker of the golf ball; she’s someone who regularly hits 15 or 16 greens out of 18 and she has a strong short game to go with that,” he noted. “And you can see that she’s getting better and her game is moving in the right direction.”

While she had her fair share of struggles in 2014, there were a few highlights – including the Marathon Classic last July in Sylvania, Ohio.

“My best finish was at the Marathon Classic,” recalled Lee-Bentham who finished in a tie for 12^th place. “I learned a lot that week, experiencing what it felt like and what I needed to do to be on top of a leader board.”

According to the winner of that tournament, Lydia Ko, the young Canadian golfer is doing the right things to be able to put up results like she did in Ohio on a consistent basis this year.

“I think Rebecca is a great player,” said the 17-year-old phenom from New Zealand. “What really impresses me about Rebecca is that she is one of the first players to come out to the course in practice and she is also one of the last ones to leave. She is a really hard working player.”

The five time LPGA tour winner was also quick to point out the importance of the mental aspect of the game.

“Rebecca has a great personality and whenever I see her, she has a smile on her face,” Ko added. “Having confidence and also having fun are one of the most important parts of the game; and that’s what I try to work on too.”

Lee-Bentham agrees with both Ko and Mullally and believes she is capable of playing with far more consistency this season.

Having put in extra work in the off-season, the 22-year-old Canadian understands the key to a successful season ahead will be to maintain a positive mental approach and make the most of each opportunity.

“I want to focus on staying in the present; each tournament, each round, each shot,” said Lee-Bentham.

“I want to be able to say that I gave it all I got,” she added. “That’s all I can really do, and the results in 2015 will take care of itself.”

To say sport runs in Garrett Rank’s blood is an understatement. Up until last August, the 27-year-old was a member of Golf Canada’s National Amateur Team. This summer, the native of Elmira, Ont. will play in the 2015 RBC Canadian Open after having won the Canadian Mid-Amateur Golf Championship last year. This week however, Rank will trade in his shoes for skates and his polo for zebra stripes. His club of choice will give way to a whistle; instead of making putts, he will be making calls.

This Thursday, Rank will take to the ice of the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, N.Y. to referee his first National Hockey League game as the hometown Sabres play host to the Minnesota Wild. Family and friends will make the trek south of the border to witness Rank’s first puck-drop at the NHL level, but among those absent will be a proud father who was a dedicated community leader and a local referee.

TSN’s Bob Mackenzie has more on Rank’s journey from the links to the rink and the influences and inspiration that have guided him to this point in his career.

The full story can be found here.

KAPALUA, Hawaii – No one in the winners-only field at Kapalua has been more successful on Monday than Patrick Reed.

Instead of honing his game in the minor leagues before earning a card, Reed tried to Monday qualify into PGA Tour events. He made it six times out of eight tries, an astounding rate of success. Only this day was different.

Reed didn’t get into a PGA Tour event on Monday. He won a PGA Tour event.

“I felt like this win was more like the Mondays, because not only was it Monday, it was 18 holes,” Reed said after his playoff victory over Jimmy Walker in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. “It was pretty bunched, so you just had to go out and go low. And luckily, we were able to do that.”

He did his most important work at Kapalua over the final four holes in regulation, and it wasn’t exactly bunched up at the moment. In fact, Reed was thinking more about trying to finish second when he stood on the 15th tee four shots behind Walker.

“I thought my chances were slim,” Reed said. “So I was just thinking to myself, `Let’s try to birdie three of the last four and get ourselves a chance to secure second alone, and give ourselves a chance – just maybe.”

The 24-year-old Reed did better than that. He two-putted the par-5 15th for a birdie. In the final group behind him, Walker began losing his lead when a 4-iron off the tee at the reachable par-4 14th sailed right into a bunker and led to bogey. And then, Reed holed out with a wedge from 80 yards for eagle on the 16th.

Just like that, he was tied with Walker at 21-under.

“I walked to 17 tee and I heard that Jimmy was at 21 (under) as well,” Reed said. “I was like, `Oh, wow.'”

He still had work left. Reed three-putted from 100 feet just off the 17th green, missing a 4-foot par putt to fall one shot behind. Again, he figured a birdie was mandatory to at least have a chance. He took care of that with a two-putt from 80 feet to close at 6-under 67.

Walker, tied for the lead with Hideki Matsuyama at the start of the final round, would take only one shot back – the 4-iron into the bunker on the 14th. From there, he caught it too cleanly and sailed the green, and when he missed a short par putt, he ended his streak of 32 straight holes without a bogey.

Equally critical to Walker was making birdies, and those were elusive. He had built a three-shot lead over Matsuyama by running off three straight around the turn, and he was still three clear over the 22-year-old from Japan going to the 14th. Walker twice missed birdie putts inside 10 feet. And when he needed a birdie on the 18th to win in regulation, his chip came out soft and he missed an 18-foot attempt for a 69 to join Reed at 21-under 271.

Walker had the advantage in the playoff on the downhill, scenic par-5 18th, but not for long. Reed couldn’t get near the green after driving into the rough, while Walker left his 3-wood well out to the right, not far from his chip in regulation. This one came out hot and over the green. He chipped back to 6 feet for a par putt, only he picked up his coin when Reed drained an 18-footer for birdie and the win.

“It was there for me to win,” Walker said. “It was a bummer I didn’t close the door on it.”

Reed has been doing that with regularity since he joined the PGA Tour in 2013. He won in Greensboro in a playoff over Jordan Spieth. He went wire-to-wire at the Humana Challenge last year, and beat back a strong field at Doral. This was his fourth career victory, putting him in elite company.

Only four other players in the last quarter-century have won four PGA Tour titles before turning 25 – Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

Reed is still not “top five in the world” – a comment he made after his win at Doral and one that follows him now. He moved to a career-best No. 14, which marks progress and potential.

“Everyone is trying to get to the best in the world,” Reed said. “But that’s going to take a long time. It’s nothing that happens overnight.”

The lone Canadian in the field this week was Nick Taylor. The Abbotsford, B.C., native finished tied for 29th at 6-under par 286.

KAPALUA, Hawaii – Jimmy Walker and Hideki Matsuyama are tied for the lead going into the final round of the Hyundai Tournament of Champions.

Matsuyama matched the best score of the week Sunday with a 7-under 66. He made three straight birdies on the front nine and back nine, and closed with a delicate pitch down the slope to 2 feet for birdie on the par-5 18th.

Walker began to pull away with five birdies in 10 holes. But he didn’t make another birdie until a 4-foot putt on the last hole for a 67. They were tied at 17-under 202.

Bae Sang-Moon (69) and Patrick Reed (68) were two shots behind. Defending champion Zach Johnson, among four players tied for the lead, stumbled to a 73 and was six shots behind.

Canada’s Nick Taylor has a share of 27th after a 1-under 72 Sunday. The Abbosford, B.C. native is heading into the final round 5-under par.

ADELAIDE, Australia – Team Canada’s Women’s Development Squad is geared up to showcase their talent on Monday morning (Australian Daylight Time) when foursome matches begin at The Grange Golf Club for the time-honoured Astor Trophy.

The Astor Trophy, first contested by the Ladies Golf Union in 1957, is contested once every four years between the Commonwealth nations. Participating this year, along with Canada, are teams from South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and a combined squad from Great Britain and Ireland.

Each five-member team plays each other once in the morning with foursomes, followed by single matches in the afternoon. Total scores will be calculated following Friday’s final round to determine the winner. A Celebration Dinner will be conducted to close out the ceremony and honour the winner.

Ann Carroll, Canada’s Development Squad coach, leads Grace St. Germain (Ottawa), Naomi Ko (Victoria, B.C.), Jaclyn Lee (Calgary), Alisha Lau (Richmond, B.C.) and Michelle Kim (Surrey, B.C.) into overseas action for one of their first events as a new team.

Canada has their sights set on their third title in Astor Trophy history—they won previously in 1979 and 1987.

Live scoring is available here.

We are ready to go ! @alishalau13 @gracestgermain @michellekimyr @JaclynLee57 & Naomi Ko #godragons pic.twitter.com/KWkxNN6oil

— ann carroll (@AnnAnncarroll) January 11, 2015

JOHANNESBURG – Andy Sullivan won his first European Tour title with a brilliant birdie on the first playoff hole as Charl Schwartzel let slip a five-shot overnight lead in a late collapse at the South African Open on Sunday.

Schwartzel (74) finished terribly, making two bogeys and a double-bogey in his last five holes to fall back to 11-under and allow Sullivan (67) a chance at victory in the playoff.

Both players missed the fairway off the tee in the playoff, but Sullivan sent a low pitch from under a tree onto the green, and then holed out for an unexpected birdie to win.

“It’s unbelievable,” Sullivan said. “After Saturday I didn’t think I stood much of a chance with Charl getting ahead that far.”

The Englishman made up seven shots on Schwartzel in the final round and was waiting in the clubhouse when the South African unraveled at the end to miss out on a first South African Open title after leading by four shots with five holes to play.

Schwartzel found a greenside bunker on No. 14, three-putted on No. 16 for double-bogey and fluffed a tee shot on 17 to drop another shot. He also found the rough off the tee on No. 18 and had to scramble for a par to send the tournament to a playoff.

Both drove into the long grass when they teed off at No. 18 again. But Sullivan recovered with a sublime low punch through the tree branches and to 12 feet, before rolling in the putt for his maiden tour title. He pumped his fist with delight after a missed birdie on the last in regulation play appeared to have ensured he would have no chance at victory.

Sullivan became just the second Englishman to win the South African Open – the second oldest tournament in professional golf – after Tommy Horton in 1970. His seven-shot comeback was the biggest in the final round since the event joined the European Tour in 1997.

Lee Slattery was third on 10 under. Ernie Els, who was in the mix after a first-round 67, finished with a 72 and in a tie for 20th.